Perfect
by shannygoat
Summary: Triple H tries to destroy Jeff Hardy, over Dave Batista's daughter. A story of fathers and daughters, love and forgiveness. Jeff HardyOC, Dave BatistaOC, Cena, Orton, Flair, HHH and others.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: As I said before, I'm taking down the pages and correcting them. I can't live with these typos!_

* * *

By: shannygoat

Featuring: Dave Batista, John Cena, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Triple H, Matt & Jeff Hardy and others

Disclaimer: They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, well I think Fanfiction is. I don't know or own Mr. Bautista, or Mr. Hardy or any other employees, staff, or associates of the WWE. I do own the original characters and creation of this work. All of the ideas and scenarios are completely fabricated. I do not endorse, give or receive any payment to WWE or their holdings. Nor do I intend to disrespect or embarrass any of the characters or their families. These characters and their personas are property of WWE.

Rating: NC-17 (for language, strong sexual content, adult themes, and violence) It is intended for mature audiences only.

Feedback: Is welcome.

**Perfect**

No sooner did her plane touch down in California did she received a call from her best friend, Christina (X as she was lovingly referred to) inviting her and Dave out to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was like X had a GPS implanted in her, because she knew as soon as her feet touched California soil.

She had taken time out from her busy schedule, to spend 2 weeks with Dave, while he was traveling on the West Coast. Although, this wasn't her ideal time with him, she planned on making the best of it. She loved to spend time with him, but being on the road with him meant being with all of his _stupid_ friends. It also meant they would have days of traveling, promo work, workouts, interviews, and matches and maybe if they were lucky, they would get to spend 5 hours a day together, when they were both awake, alone.

She'd met Dave Batista almost 3 years ago. He was taking pictures for an issue of Raw Magazine and she was in the same studio, posing for something. Whether she was paid to sell cologne or toothpaste, it seemed every photo had her half naked, and sprawled out on a bed, a car or any other semi-flat surface.

She first saw him, standing at the craft services table. He stood there in all of his statuesque glory and spoke to her. She thought nothing of it; sure he was cute and had a nice body, but she got that a lot. She wasn't looking for another pretty boy, especially since the last one turned out to be real asshole. But, what caught her attention was his smile. He had this sheepish way of cocking his head to the side, like he was trying to hide the fact that he was smiling. He invited her out to lunch and the rest as they say was history.

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Dave Batista tried hiding his disappointment when his girlfriend, who he hadn't seen in three weeks, told him that they had been invited out. He had been thinking about how they were going to spend their time together, of all the things he wanted to do with her… to her. "No, you should go." He said carrying her bags into his room.

"Babe, I just got here. We only have 2 weeks before I have to go to Miami and I would actually like to spend _some _of that time with you." She said closing the door behind him. Looking around the room, she spotted a bouquet of roses. She thumbed the card open and read the inscription: _Babe, You know I'm not good with words, but I don't need a lot of them to tell you; I love you. Dave._

"We have 2 weeks to spend together." She heard him say. Yeah, he was really laying the guilt on thick this time.

"You could come with us." She smiled wrapping her arms around his neck. Being caught between her boyfriend and her best friend is the worst. Either way, someone would never let her live it down.

He shook his head. The last thing he needed to do was to be in some dark club listening to awful music and watching these "youngsters" make complete fools out of themselves. Although he didn't seem old, knowing that he would be turning 40 in a few months, made him feel it. "No, you go and have a good time. I'll be here when you get back and we'll hang out then. Besides, you're easy when you're all liquored up." He laughed when he kissed her, letting her know that it was ok for her to go.

"I won't be gone too long." She said looking at her watch.

"Just make it up to me when you get back." He replied walking her to her rental. He kissed her quickly and watched her pull off, before putting his hands in his pockets and walking back to the hotel, alone.

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Stumbling through the door, she quickly closed it behind her. She always hated hotels. It didn't matter how nice they were, nothing beat the feel of sleeping in her own bed. At least this time Dave was with her. Somehow it didn't matter that she wasn't at home with all of her stuff, having him with her made everything better.

As she struggled to take her jacket off, she couldn't help but to laugh at the cheesy décor of the room. It was a stale taupe color with a loud floral wall paper. The look of the room made it feel like it was one of those 'love' suites in the back of the romantic get away ads. "Who picked these fucking colors?" She tripped into the bathroom and started to take off her clothes. Looking in the mirror, she had a hard time focusing. "Fucking fluorescent bulbs." Turning out the lights, she tried to smooth down her hair in the dark.

As she walked into the bedroom she noticed that the rest of the room was dark too. She knew that meant that either Dave hadn't come back yet, or he was already asleep. Probably the former, since he had a habit of sleeping with the TV on. Sighing to herself, she made her way to the bed.

A little guilt crept in her mind. She had come to spend time with, not go partying with her old crew. But he knew that she didn't get to see them much and he said he was ok with it. Still if she had been a "good girlfriend", she would have told her friends she'd see them later and hung out with Dave and his _stupid_ friends.

Pushing the idea aside, clumsily she ripped back the covers and flopped in the bed. She landed partially on him before she realized he was there. "Sorry," she whispered loudly, roughly patting his head.

He opened his eyes and smiled. "It's 5 a.m., you just getting back?" He asked cuddling up to her.

"Um-hum."

He reached out to pull her closer to him. His hand traveled across her lower stomach and he realized she was naked. _This is too easy. I could punish her for coming back so late, or I could just have fun with it. _He really wasn't angry that she had stayed out all night. He was actually glad that she hooked up with her friends. He knew how they were when they got together; party, party, party. Although he enjoyed clubbing and such, he was getting a little tired of that scene. Over the last couple of months, he had started to feel that it was time for him to settle down a bit and let some of his wilder days go. She on the other hand was young and still so full of life. He wanted her to go out and have fun; as long as she came home to him at night.

"Did you celebrate X's birthday?" He asked nudging her on her side to face him.

"Yup." She rubbed her hands on his chest.

"You've been drinking." It was more of an observation, than a criticism, but she shook her head in protest to his comment. "What did you have?" he asked trying to hide his smile.

He always thought she was so cute when she was drunk. She was a fun drunk, the kind that loves everybody. He loved the way that she would try to hide the fact that she was drunk by trying to say things that were profound. But liquor was truth serum. All he had to do was ask her a question and he would find out everything he wanted to know. He especially loved the way alcohol melted her inhibitions. When she drank, she was frisky, into experimenting and extremely horny. It was going to be good day after all.

"Um, screwdrivers and something else, I think," she said kissing his shoulder.

"I'll never understand how you can drink vodka." He stuck his tongue out as if he could taste the harsh liquor in his mouth.

"That's why you put the fruit in it," she slurred.

"Oranges? You don't put oranges in screwdrivers."

"No, the stuff…the juice." She said kissing his arm.

"Did you drink a lot?" Slowly he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Uh-oh-uh," she mumbled.

He knew that she was saying she didn't know. "So what else did you do?" He stroked her arm that was draped across his chest.

"Um, danced," she said smiling.

"You danced? With who?" He closed his eyes and imagined her dancing; her body sweating, grinding on whomever she was dancing with; he loved to watch her dance.

"With Christina," she said licking his chest.

"Yeah? Just you two?" he said feeling himself get hard at the image. X was sexy, not as sexy as his girlfriend, but still pretty damn sexy. He could see them dancing. She being taller than X, he imagined her standing behind; X grinding her butt into her pelvis. He imagined her rubbing her hands over X's sweaty body.

"No, it was X, Katie, Jen and Sta- Stacy," She tried hard to remember her friends names. It's not like she was really in the mood for talking, anyway. Maybe if he talked enough he wouldn't realize that she was trying to take advantage of him. "We got on the bar and started dancing."

"Did you take your clothes off?" His leg started to move a bit thinking about how hot that must have looked.

"My shirt. I think. I remember the bartender told me I had to put it back on, but I couldn't find it, so I put on someone else's." She talked while she continued to kissed his neck.

"Did X have a good birthday?" He couldn't stop his breathing from becoming shallower.

"Um-hum, but I'm getting a present." She slid her leg across his pelvis and rubbed it on his hardness.

He turned his head to face her, "And what's that?" She slid her hand down to his boxers and smiled. "You're a bad girl."

"Um-hum.," She pressed her lips softly to his.

"Maybe we should wait until you feel better," he said kissing her back. He really had no intension of stopping, but he thought it would be polite to suggest it.

"I feel fine now. I'll feel better when you're on top of me," she slurred sucking on his neck. Damn, her mouth felt good. She always sucked on him with just the slightest amount of pressure, not enough to mark him but enough that felt it through his entire body. Her hand slid inside his boxers and slowly started to touch him.

"You sure you want that?" he whispered, trying not to show how horny he was too.

"Yup, all over me," she said kissing his lips again.

Peppering kisses on his cheek she made her way to his ear. Touching her tongue to his earlobe, she slowly sucked it into her mouth. "Will you fuck me?" she asked licking the spot just below his ear.

"Mmmm, yes," he said melting into the feel of her.

"Will you make me cum?" she asked stroking his length harder.

"Yes," he said trying to hold in his breath. She knew what that was doing to him.

She crawled up on him and straddled his body. Holding his arms down by his head, "Will you pin me down?"

"If you want," he smiled.

Leaving his hands in that position, she slipped hers down his arms and rested them on his chest. "Will you do it hard?" She sat up on him and grinded into his pelvis.

"Yeah," he whispered closing his eyes.

"Will you do it fast?" She asked hunching over to run her tongue over his nipple.

"No," he whispered.

"Why, not?" Dave always had a way of making her pout. She had it all figured out, she would come back to the hotel and let him have his way with her; hard and fast to punish her for staying out so long. Now he was ruining it.

"I don't wanna cum too fast," he chuckled, putting his hand on her head.

"Please?"

The feeling of her biting his nipple would have made him agree to anything. "Ok, just this once."

She smiled and continued to bite him. He moaned, as she gently ran her tongue around the sore sprout. "Will you hurt me?" She moved her tongue over to his other nipple.

"Never," he whined with pleasure.

"I want you to. I want you to make me scream." She whispered moving up to his lips and shoving her tongue in his mouth.

Running his hands down her back, he held her close. It was something about the way she kissed him that he couldn't resist. He rolled her over until he was on top of her. He looked her in the eyes and smoothed back her hair. "I could never hurt you," he said before kissing her.

"Yes, you can," she sang. The feeling of his mouth on her mixed with the gentle swirling in her brain was incredible. _I need to drink more often_. It was something about being drunk that made every nerve on her body come alive.

He took big gulps of her neck into his mouth. The taste of her salty flesh made him want her more. As his tongue ran down her breast bone to her stomach, she moaned. Loving running her fingers through her hair she said, "Fuck me sober." He smiled up at her just before parting her and sticking his tongue inside.

"Talk to me," he said as he tasted her, "tell me what you want."

"Right there, stay right there," she said as his tongue made contact with her spot. She vigorously ground her pelvis upward to create more pressure. As gently as he could, he nibbled on her. "Harder, bite me harder." With more pressure, he bit her. The feeling of his teeth on her most sensitive spot made her cum with a jolt. She continued to flop on the bed, as he rubbed his tongue against the sensitive area between his teeth.

He released her, smiling to himself that he brought her so much pleasure. "Did you like that?" She looked down and him and smiled. She crooked her finger and motioned for him to come closer.

He loved when she was drunk. Normally she was very passive, allowing him to do what ever he wanted. But the alcohol gave her a since of power. He always asked her to be forceful with him, to let him know what she wanted, but it was hard for her. That was, until she had a few drinks in her.

She wrapped her legs around his waist. Slowly, he submersed himself into her. "Yeah," she said letting out a sigh, letting his entire length fill her. He started to move in her, taking a moment to relish in the feel of her warmth.

He kissed her passionately as he slowly moved her hands up by her head. Using his knees to stabilize him, he laid on her applying just enough of his weight not to crush her. He continued to kiss her as she tried to move her hands up to his face, he increased his grip pinning her arms to the bed.

"Harder," she whined as she felt him rip into her. He moved with more precision, roughly knocking his pelvis into hers. The moans escaping from him were almost as loud as hers.

He'd never liked the idea of taking a woman with such force; but with her he felt privileged. This is what he was comfortable with; aggression. There were many nights that after a match, his adrenaline was fully charged. He wanted so much to just slam into her, the way he knocked those guys around in the ring. But she was so soft; he couldn't bring himself to do it. Tonight, though she begged for it and he couldn't get enough.

"Harder," she squeaked out again. He increased his speed and rhythm until he drove into her with blunt force. "Hurt me, Davey," she begged.

He closed his eyes and pushed himself into her so hard it hurt him too. It was a good kind of hurt. It was the kind that you only notice that you like when the pain is gone. He pushed into her so hard that their bodies made a violent slapping sound with each thrust.

"No… don't stop. Harder." she panted. Truth be told, if he did it any harder, one of them would have ended up in traction.

He couldn't in good conscious actually inflict pain on her. "I don't want to hurt you," he said kissing her.

"Please?" she whispered grinding into him harder. He kissed her gently and rammed into her again. This was surreal; he let out a loud moan to release the tension so he wouldn't end right then and there.

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Loud moans and occasional screams brought people out of their rooms to try to find the source of the noise. It's not often one is awaken at 6am, by the sounds of people screaming. Orton, Flair and Cena looked at each other as the noise became louder and louder. Following the sound, they ended up in front of Dave Batista's room.

They all knew that his girlfriend had come in town today, and they also knew that she went out partying with her friends leaving him there to whine about his massive hard on. All night long, they listened to him talk about how much he missed her and that he couldn't wait until she got back. When they couldn't take it anymore, they sent him to his room.

"What the fuck? Do you think he's alright in there?" Randy asked pressing his ear up to the door. By this time, several other people in rooms immediately surround his were peeking out their doors.

Ric's hand was mere inches from knocking on the door, when suddenly he stopped. "Fuck me." He heard her yell and could not stop himself from laughing.

"I taught that boy all I knows," Ric said feeling a strange since of pride. It felt awkward that they were there listening, but it was so funny that they couldn't turn away.

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When she came she screamed. It was a scream that would have lead others to think that he was seriously being attacked. Her orgasm hit with such force that she was able to release her arms from his grip and madly fling them around his back. As she continued to scream she dug her nails into his flesh.

The sharp pain of her nails breaking his skin, made the blinding orgasm come out of him. He found himself screaming too. "SHIT! F-U-C-K!" were the only words his mouth could produce.

Exhausted he collapsed on top of her. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard applause. Between her soft moans, trying to collect his senses and the feeling of her inside muscles still spasm against him, he wasn't sure; but, he could have sworn that people were clapping and cheering him on.

Shaking his head, he looked down at her. She lay under him trying to control her breathing. He quickly realized he had all of his weight on her 120lb. frame. Moving off of her, he kissed her softly. "You ok?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded her head. "If that's what I get on X's birthday, I can't wait until mine. I think you broke my pelvis though," she said with her eyes closed.

"Not bad for an old man? I still got it," he said nuzzling up next to her. He listened to her breathe, unable to control himself from thinking about what just occurred. He had just fucked her; he had only done that on a few occasions in all of the time that they had been together. He always made love to her. It was usually passionate and much longer than this, but tonight it was all about wild, hot, sweaty sex.

"I didn't really mean to hurt you. I'm sorry." He refused to allow her to think that he actually got off on causing her pain.

"Don't be, that was incredible," she faintly slurred before turning her head and passing out.

Confident that she was ok, he took the time to move her dead weight over to him, putting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and listened to her sleep. Somewhere in his memory of that night, he too drifted off.

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Jeff Hardy was awakened by the sounds of screaming. At first he thought it had been a dream, but he realized the screams were in fact real. He walked across the room and stuck his head out of his hotel door. He noticed several people standing near the door down the hall. None of them seemed like they were in a rush to kick the door in, so he closed his behind him.

He crawled back onto his bed and sighed. _That's just great. Now I'll never get back to sleep. _It had already taken him hours to doze off, and finally after a good solid hour of sleep he was now wide awake; again.

Frustrated, he clicked on the lamp and reached for his sketch pad. At least if he couldn't sleep, he could draw himself sleeping. The irony of the situation was enough to put a smile on his face, as he picked up the pencil and started to make his outlines.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What?" Dave's voice was groggy as he grabbed the receiver of the telephone.

"Mr. Batista, this your wake up call, it's 8:30."

"I'm up, thanks," he said and fumbled to hang it up.

"How you feeling?" he asked gently nudging her awake. "

Like shit," she said, her voice deep.

"You got a hang over?" he asked smiling.

"No, I think I'm still drunk," she answered pulling the blanket over her head.

As much as he would have liked to stay in bed and comfort her, over and over again, he had things to do. Today was the big press conference for the upcoming Pay-Per-View in Tampa, FL. He had to go to the gym, a signing and then finally he would be able to spend some time alone with her. It was a busy day, but if he stayed on schedule, he would be all hers by 5 pm.

"You know, drinking brings out the worst in you." He rubbed her back still trying to get her to wake up.

"How so?"

"You came in and attacked me. You started asking me to do all this stuff to you, like pin you down and shit. You don't remember that?" He was failing miserably at hiding his disappointment. That was in fact his best work ever and the fact that she didn't remember, hurt his feelings.

"Not much. I remember you going down on me, I remember screaming your name, but I thought I was dreaming that." It was pointless. All of the events of last night were a blur. The only thing she could concentrate on now was the gentle rocking in her intestines. Slowly, churning and bubbling, she knew that what ever she did last night was not going to sit well with her this morning.

"Well maybe I'll have to give you a replay later," he said kissing her head. "Come on, it's time to get you up."

Reluctantly she sat up. The sun was just too bright, the room's colors were too colorful, the bed was too soft, and the flowers were too strong. Everything in that room threatened to make her sick. She stood up in an attempt to run to the bathroom, just in case she needed to empty her stomach.

She laid in the tub, half trying to remember the events of last night and half convincing her stomach that she had control over the situation and she refused to get sick. But when she jumped as he knocked on the door, her stomach told her that there was no power struggle. She knew immediately who was in charge.

"Babe, I got to be down stairs for this press thing in an hour. You wanna grab some breakfast first?" he asked while softly knocking on the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." As tired and as sick as she felt, she didn't want to have breakfast. But she wanted to be the supportive girlfriend and be there for him. She brushed her wet hair into a ponytail and came out of the bathroom. She dressed quietly as he watched her.

"You ok?" he asked again.

"Not feeling so hot," she moaned slipping on her shoes.

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The hotel had a nice family restaurant located just pass the elevator, across from the lobby. When they walked into the establishment, they were greeted by a standing ovation from his friends.

Confused, he looked at Ric who was beaming. "What's that for?"

"Way to wake up the whole floor. You gathered quite a crowd at your door this morning." Ric continued to smile.

He turned around and hugged her, trying to keep his blush to himself. He knew he had heard clapping; but were they that loud?

All she could do was cover her face. She didn't even remember a few hours ago and now she was being told about it, from his friends no less. All she wanted to do was crawl back up to bed and stay there.

"Well, I aim to please." He kissed her on the head and tried to keep his embarrassment to himself.

"Shut it," she said slapping his chest.

He laughed pulling out her seat for her to sit down. "You hungry.

The idea of food right now made her want to throw up. "I'll just have hot chocolate," she said trying to convince her stomach that it just needed a little milk to settle it.

Hunter looked at her strangely. "It's the middle of July, why the hell do you want hot chocolate?"

"I need caffeine," she explained.

"But it's too hot out for that," he said shaking his head.

She wasn't in the mood to deal with him; especially not right now. She had to concentrate on keeping her stomach from moving into her mouth. "You're coffee is hot, no? Well, I don't like coffee," she said quietly, taking little breaths to sooth the taste creeping up into her mouth.

She didn't like Hunter. It was something in the arrogant way he carried himself that bothered her. He was just so big and scary looking. The way her looked at her gave her the chills. They all knew how much she hated him too, not that she gave a rat's ass about it.

When the food arrived, one might have thought that Dave was a starved man. Two plates of pancakes, a bowl of fruit, a plate of sausage, 4 eggs, a bowl of creamed chipped beef, hash browns and orange juice to wash it down. Just looking at it, made her feel worse.

"Damn, are you pregnant?" Cena asked looking at the mountain of food in front of him.

Pouring the syrup on his pancakes he chuckled. "What? I'm fucking hungry."

"I guess so," Ric said smiling while putting his cup to his lips.

"I eat like this every day," Dave defended stuffing a healthy fork full into his mouth.

"So why aren't you eating? You should have worked up an appetite too. Or did you get your fill this morning?" Hunter asked her smiling.

She rolled her eyes and picked up a piece of melon from Dave's bowl. _I hate that guy_. With every ounce of energy she had, she made herself bite the melon. It didn't come back up, so maybe that meant she was on the road to recovery.

"She's hung over," Dave said in between bites of food.

"No, I'm not," she said giving "the look". He knew how much she hated when he told them things about her. _That's all I need is for Hunter to make fun of me right now_. She hadn't been there a full 24 hours yet and she could tell they would have an argument before this day was through.

"Oh, I forgot, you're still drunk," he said smiling.

She flipped him the bird and he laughed. "Later," he said grabbing his juice.

"You promise?" she smiled at him weakly. She was not going to give Hunter the satisfaction of seeing her get sick right in the middle of that table.

"Cross my heart."

Everyone at the table watched them. It seemed when they were together, they didn't notice anyone else there with them. Ric especially thought it was funny how she had this incredible power over him. Since he had come to the WWE 5 years ago, Ric had taken him under his wing. He seen him through a pretty bad divorce, a couple of girlfriends, some really wild partying and now to see her with him was like looking at a different man. Ric had to agree when he first met her he liked her instantly, although he was concerned at how young she was. But, she was really down to earth, really easy to get along with, funny and most of all she was head over heels about Dave.

"Ok, you're going to make me vomit," Orton said watching them make eyes and smile at each other.

_You're not the only one. _"Sorry Randy, you jealous?" she asked kissing Randy on the cheek.

"That's better," he said smiling. "So why were you getting smashed last night?"

"It was my friend Christina's birthday. We went out to celebrate," she explained blowing on her cocoa. If she could just sip it, everything would be better. She was never much of a drinker and if she had any sense she would know that milk and fruit do not make a hang over better, it only adds to the problem.

"Where'd you go?" he asked getting his hand slapped by Dave as he reached for a piece of sausage. "You got enough, you can share." Randy argued grabbing the sausage and stuffing it into his mouth.

"I don't remember. All I remember was dancing on the bar and losing my top," she said praying they would shut up and leave her to die in peace.

"Damn, that's sexy. Next time why don't you call me when you go out?" Orton said looking at her.

She couldn't help but to laugh. That's all he thought about, getting laid. She knew plenty of girls who were up for the idea too. But if wanted her friends to remain her friends, that wouldn't be such a good idea.

"Christina, is that the blonde that was at your birthday party?" John asked looking at Dave. "Man, I'd like to break off in that. She's hot!"

"You're a pig," she shot out before standing up. She excused herself and went to the ladies room.

As she walked away from the table, they all watched her.

"Damn, she's fine!" Cena yelled out, "B, you are one lucky s.o.b."

Dave smiled. "Yes I am," he admitted watching her ass wondering how she stuffed it into her low rise jeans.

That was as graceful as she could possibly be, for once she was out of visual range of the table, and she high tailed it to the bathroom.

Randy leaned in closer, "So what the fuck was that this morning? It sounded like Freddie vs. Jason up there. All we heard was bumping and screaming and shit. What the fuck did you do to her, bro?"

Dave laughed out loud, almost chocking on fruit. "You got that the other way around. What the fuck did she do to me?"

"Damn." Cena said dragging the word out for emphasis, "I gotta find me a girl to lay that shit on me like that."

"So come on Dave, tell us blow by blow," Hunter said with a wicked grin. Dave's face grew impatient with Hunter. Normally, he just let whatever came out of his mouth roll off him; but he _could_ be a prick sometime.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells." Ric answered quickly sensing his irritation.

"Wasn't nothing gentle about that shit, Ric," Cena said laughing.

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Jeff Hardy sat hunched over the table with his legs folded in the seat under him. For the last ten minutes he had desperately tried to capture the look in the girl's eye. Switching the color of his chalk, he picked up the grey to shade the color closet to her iris. He would have had a better view of those beautiful blue-grey eyes, if it weren't for the extremely large frame of one Mr. Dave Batista. Frustrated, he leaned across the table to try to see around Dave's shoulder to try to get a better look at the girl that sat only one table away from him.

"You're gonna get your ass kicked." He heard Matt say from somewhere deep in his concentration. Looking up at his brother, he smiled dryly. "All you need is for Dave to notice you lookin' at his girl. I bet Hunter would kick your ass for him." Matt rounded the table and stood so that he blocked Jeff's view.

"Thanks. Glad to know you got my back." Jeff rolled his eyes at his brother and turned his attention back to his sketch pad.

Matt sat down across from Jeff and looked over at the book. "What the hell are you doing?" Matt never really understood Jeff's art. Although he admired Jeff's artistic ability, he could never really understand why Jeff chose to draw some of the things he did.

"Eyes," Jeff said, placing the grey chalk down and grabbing the blue. "I'm in my eyes phase." Jeff happened to look at Matt, who stared back at him in puzzlement.

Jeff was glad to be back at WWE, the past three years had been hard for him. But, he worked hard, managed to stay clean and now he had his spot back on the roster. Jeff's newly found sobriety did not come without a price, though. Not only was he desperately bored and unfamiliar with most of the new talent, but he found that all of his muses had gone away. At least when Jeff was high, he could create, but trying it sober proved a difficult challenge.

He adjusted in his seat once more, not only did he have to look around Dave, but now he had Matt's curly mop in his way. "This is fuckin' useless, Matt. I'm bored." Throwing down his chalk, he ripped out the page of the girl's eye and balled it up. Matt's sympathetic smile did little to ease his giddiness.

Jeff had only been back at WWE for three weeks and was scheduled to make his first appearance at the Super Show in two days. He had to find something to do with himself before he jumped out of his skin. Being back was not like how it was in the old days. Jeff use to love to be at work, it was a non-stop party. Not only did he have Matt to hang out with, but there was Amy, Matt's girlfriend, Jay, Adam and his best friends Shane and Shannon. But now, Matt and Amy were no longer on speaking terms because she dumped him for Adam; which meant that he could not talk to Adam either. Jay and Shannon both left and went to TNA, so he was forced to hang out with Matt, who was on Smackdown and Shane, if he were ever around.

Matt was worried about Jeff. He would randomly knock on Jeff's door at all hours of the night just to check on him. He knew how badly Jeff had struggled with his addictions and how horrible his recoveries had been. Being on the road was hard, and when Jeff got bored, Jeff got high. Taking care of Jeff was his responsibility; it's what he had always done. Now was no different. Jeff use to appreciate how Matt put his life on hold to make sure he was ok, but now he resented it.

"Come on. I'll let you make a mold of my face, if you want." Matt hated the idea of having the cold plaster on his face, _again._ But, if it kept Jeff occupied then he would try.

Although he thought the offer was tempting, Jeff declined. "Think I'll just walk around or somethin'. Maybe, I could find some more eyes to draw." He tucked his sketch pad under his arm and grabbed his chalks off the table. "Maybe, I'll change my hair color…I don't know."

Matt sat back in his seat and watched as Jeff walked out of the restaurant and toward the hotel's elevator. He really hoped that Jeff would find something to occupy his time, before he found himself doing something he would regret.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The hideous odor of the garden flower scented air freshener set to disperse every 5 minutes, caught in the back of her throat as soon as she walked in the bathroom. Even the soft mauve suede colored walls and the plush deep purple leather couches that rested in the waiting area, which made the room look tranquil, couldn't make up for the awful smell wafting throughout. The sickening sweet smell of the room, made her stomach turn. She could feel every ounce of screw drivers and whatever the hell else she drank, slowly make the trek back up her stomach and threatened to enter her throat.

Running, she flung herself into the nearest stall and kicked the door shut. Before she could stop the sea of nausea that swept over her, she made a deal with God. _If you spare me, I swear I'll never drink again._ God must have known she was lying, because before she could cement her deal, the contents of her stomach emptied. As if it weren't bad enough to be praying to the porcelain gods, she was doing it in a public bathroom, no less. She faintly heard the clicking of heels over her heaving. Never being one to enjoy listening to some hurl in the bathroom, she didn't have time to feel sorry for whoever just came in; she had to worry about keeping her spleen from coming up along with everything else she'd drank last night.

She heard a gentle knock on the stall door and before she could open her mouth to answer, her stomach did it for her. The door swung open and she felt a hand gently caress her back.

"You ok honey?" The voice asked, while gently making circular motions on her back. She looked up at Kristal Marshal who was smiling gently at her.

She tried to answer but found it that she needed to try to resist the spasm in her stomach instead.

Kristal nodded her head sympathetically. The memory of her praying to those same porcelain gods the day before was still quite fresh in her head. She had just flown in for the WWE Super Show, which featured both Raw and Smackdown Superstars at the same venue. It was all too easy for the Divas from Raw to convince the Smackdown Divas to go out and reek some serious havoc in LA. Sure she enjoyed the partying, but the next morning she regretted it. In fact, she regretted all morning, afternoon and most of the night.

If she could have unhitched the toilet from the wall and taken it to his press conference with her, she would have felt more comfortable. But for now, it seemed that the nausea had ceased and she once again could stand. Slowly, as not to rock her intestines in any way, she made her way to her feet and very carefully dragged her self toward the sink.

Kristal was already at the sink and was wetting a paper towel for her. She took the paper towel and dabbed her face, praying that the cool feel of the water would some how will her stomach to settle once and for all.

"I don't think we've ever really been introduced," Kristal said taking the wet paper towel away from her and tossing it in the trash can. "I'm Kristal. You're Dave's girlfriend, right?"

She tried her best to smile or nod at Kristal in acknowledgement, but the pounding in her head made her smile look anything but pleasant. "Britain, I'm Britain."

"Oh, so you _do_ have a name? If you let Dave tell it, your name is, Babe. That's all I ever hear him say, when he's on the phone with you. Babe this and babe that."

Britain couldn't help but to smile at the thought of how he hardly ever used her government name. Kristal was exactly right; he always just referred to her as Babe. "Well, you know those muscle bound types. One syllable words and all…" Kristal smiled hoping that Britain didn't think she was actually implying that Dave was a muscle bond idiot. She thought she had better change subject before the inebriated girl hauled off and popped her for talking about her man. "You gonna be ok?"

"I think so. No more partying for a while, that I know for sure." Britain responded bending down to place her head on her hands. "Thanks." She felt Kristal pat her on the back just before hearing the click of her shoes and the bathroom door open again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dave sat the table happily finishing the rest of his enormous breakfast, trying his best to ignore the conversation between Hunter and Ric. Some how, their argument reverted back to whether or not it was appropriate for Dave to be discussing his sexual escapades at breakfast. He watched the two of them go at it, as one would watch a ball fly across the net at a tennis match. Hunter arguing the point, that guys sit around and talk about the girls they nail, and Ric arguing that if they were in high school it might be appropriate.

"Yo. I'm out." John announced as he stood up from the table. He walked around to where Dave was sitting and patted him on the shoulder. Dave absently waved his hand over his shoulder to acknowledge John's leaving, without turning around.

He was truly getting dizzy from trying to follow the conversation between his two friends. He let his eyes fall over to Randy, who was enjoying the argument a little too much. Randy looked like a kid in a candy store, he happily watched as Ric's face turned bright red and the veins in his neck popped out in annoyance. They knew that Hunter was goading him on. Hunter liked nothing better than to piss somebody off. It was pretty sad actually, he was just one of those people who fit the old saying, 'misery loves company'.

When Dave's cell phone went off, he could not have been happier. Finally, he had an excuse to disengage himself from an argument that was about him, although he wasn't quite sure how he had gotten in the middle to begin with. He checked the number on the caller id, and saw that it was his oldest daughter, Chase. Dave was the proud father of three girls. The oldest was, Chase, was not actually his daughter by blood, although he would never admit that.

Emily, his first ex-wife, had been a single mother when he first met her. Although he and Emily had a pretty good relationship, what sealed the deal for him was 2 year old Chase. He had never dated a woman that had children, but was strangely amazed how quickly he grew to love her. She was the reason that he proposed in the first place. If the truth be told, he married Emily, so that Chase would have a father more so than for her to have a husband. The first "official" thing he did after marring Emily was to legally adopt Chase.

No matter how much he loved his girls, six years was a long time to be trapped in a loveless marriage, but he did for the sake of Chase, and his other daughters that soon followed; 16 year old Madison and 14 year old Allin. The day it all came crashing down was the day that Chase in all of her infinite wisdom sat him down and asked him if she was the reason he was so unhappy.

He could still remember the modest town house they rented in Montgomery County, Maryland. The way the screen door banged every time the wind blew, the smell of the charcoal grill filling the house, because it had been set up too close to the open window. He remembered that Emily had taken the other girls with her to market so they could get icing and candles for Chase's 8th birthday cake, and would be home soon so they could actually start Chase's birthday cookout.

_He sat on the couch, absently watching the first pre-season game for the Washington Redskins, when Chase sat down beside him._

"_Daddy, we need to talk." He couldn't help but admire the way her deep blue eyes narrowed in on him to alert him that she was serious. _

_He stroked her blonde hair softly and smiled. "What's up Princess?" He asked now focusing all of his attention on her. For added measure she grabbed the remote control and turned off his game._

"_Are you mad at me?" She had rehearsed all day, how she would bring up the subject of his unhappiness. Although she was afraid that his answer would be yes, she had to do it. Her Daddy was the center of the universe and if he were mad, she would do everything in her power to fix what ever it was that she had done wrong. He laughed and shook his head. "Because, you seem so sad. I know I'm the oldest and I try to keep Maddy and Alli from getting on your nerves, but I can't stop them. I know that every time we ask you for something, Mommy gets mad because you give it us. Then you two always start fighting about money and stuff. "_

_He was floored. Could she really tell that he was that miserable being married to her mother? He always put on a brave face for his girls, never once did he let them know that he was unhappy. But somehow this wonderful child had seen through his mass of hugs, kisses and genuine happiness to be around his daughters. "Princess, I'm not mad at you. I promise. Mommy and I argue, but that has nothing to do with the three of you."_

_She had cupped his large hand in her much smaller hands, and looked him square in the eye. "Well is it because I'm not yours?" His brows instantly came together and the look of puzzlement crossed his face. She could sense that he did not understand, so she proceeded to explain. "I heard Ms. Foster say, that she could tell I'm not yours because Maddy and Alli look like you and I don't."_

_He could feel his neck stiffen immediately. What the hell was Ms. Foster's problem and how dare she say something like to or about his daughter! He checked his temper, before he blurted out that Ms. Foster needed to mind her own damn business. "Princess, you are mine. I don't care what anyone else says or thinks. You know and I know that you are my little princess and I don't care if you look like me, mom or the milk man or if you had green hair and one eye in the middle of your head. Got it?" He touched the end of her nose which made her giggle._

"_Got it. I just want you to be happy Daddy." She threw her little arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. He felt his heart drop with her hug. All he wanted to do was to be a good father to his kids and if she could feel how unhappy he was, he was not doing such a good job. That was the night that he talked to Emily about a separation, which ultimately lead to their divorce two months later._

By the third ring he had opened his phone and heard the most horrific music coming out. "Hey Princess." He yelled over the sound of her car radio.

"Hey Daddy, just checking that you will be picking me up at the airport in the morning." Chase asked trying to turn down her radio so she would not have to struggle to hear him talk.

"Airport? I thought you weren't coming until the 30th." He struggled to try to remember why he was supposed to be picking her up tomorrow. Britain had just gotten there and he thought that they would have a little time together alone before she was coming out.

"Tomorrow _is_ the 30th. Damn Daddy, you're not that old yet." She laughed thinking about how bad he was with dates. She was glad that he usually traveled with his friends because they at least remembered what day it was.

"What your mouth, young lady. What time does your flight get here?" He did not know how he was going to tell Britain that his daughter was coming, especially since she made the trip here from Milan to spend two weeks with him, _alone._ He had to think of something fast, like where Chase was going to sleep. He didn't trust having his 19 year old daughter have a hotel room all to herself. He could see if the hotel had any suites left, which he doubted because of the magnitude of the Super Show.

"Um, it should be there by ten. Then I have to be school by two for registration and to get my books. And I want to see my new apartment. Sherry already moved in, I just wanna check out that she didn't take the room I wanted."

He couldn't help his cheeks from turning red as he thought about the argument he and Emily had over whether it was safe to have a nineteen year old, living alone in LA while she attended college. He was dead set against it. He thought that it would be in her best interest if she stayed on campus at UCLA, at least until her junior year. But Chase had convinced Emily that she was growing up, she would be twenty in a few months, and she could handle living on her own. After weeks of arguing, he caved against every sane thought in his head, reluctantly he agreed to let his oldest move on her own.

"Sure, I'll be at the airport at 10 and we'll go to school and swing by your new digs. You're staying with me while you're here, right?" He held his breath and secretly hoped that she would opt to stay in her new place for the two days she would be in California before her classes started.

"Of course. I don't to see you enough as it is. I'm only there for two days. I don't think you'll get on my nerves that bad." She laughed heartily in his ear. When he did not respond to her joke, she knew something was wrong. "Daddy, that was joke. What's up, you ok? Oh…she's there isn't she?" she asked regretting that she had made it sound like Britain was poison.

"Yeah. I completely forgot that 30th was this week, when she made her flight arrangements." One more check in the worst father of the year column.

"No problem. I can stay at my apartment. It's no big deal." She said trying to mask her disappointment. But it was a big deal. She was so excited to have two full days of hanging out with the old man that she didn't know what to do, plus she would get to hang out with his cute friends, especially John, who she had been harboring a crush on for a while.

"Nope. You're staying with me. I'll get us a suite and you'll just have your own room. Ok." He hoped that he sounded convincing, although he did not know if he could actually pull that one off.

"How about we just play it by ear?" she suggested.

He couldn't deny it, she was a smart girl. She knew that he wanted some alone time with Britain, but on the same time that he wanted some much needed family bonding time with her.

"I'll see you at 10." She said. He nodded his head, as if she could see him. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too." He said before he closed his phone.

He had noticed that sometime during his conversation, Ric had stormed out of the restaurant before he had to kill Hunter. When Dave finally closed his phone, he could hear the shrieking laughs between Randy and Hunter over how red Ric's face had gotten. Before he could even ask, exactly how Hunter had managed to piss Ric off this time, he noticed Britain walking back to the table.

"You ok?" Dave asked looking up at her.

"I just don't feel that well," she said sitting down and resting her head in her hands.

"You wanna go up to the room and lay down?" For a woman to be as beautiful as she was, she looked horrible. He couldn't help but to smile to himself, because even horrible looked good on her.

Dave stood up and walked over to where she was sitting so he could talk to her without Hunter being down his throat. "You sure you don't want to go back upstairs?"

"No, I wanna be here for your press conference," she said rubbing his face.

Now was as good a time as any to tell her about his mix up. He took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst. "Babe, I forgot that Chase is coming tomorrow. I gotta take her to school for registration. She's going to be here for two days." He sat rigid, expecting her to let him know actually how disappointed she was.

"We need a bigger room." She actually liked the idea that Chase was coming. They got along pretty well and quite frankly, she would have someone else to hang out with besides his _stupid_ friends.

"That's it? No protest, no argument? You really must feel like shit right now." He laughed kissing her on the cheek.

"Go see if you can get a bigger room, goof ball." She said popping him on the back of the head. He kissed her on the cheek happy that there would not be a big battle for his attention between her and his daughter. He handed her his credit card so that she could pay for his tab and headed for the front desk.

_Great. It's just me, Hunter and Randy. I know that bastard is going to have something smart to say. Why can't I have the urge to throw up now, on him? _She looked up to see his smug grin all over his face.

"So, what did you do to Dave?" Hunter asked. Although their relationship had never amicable, he still couldn't resist the urge to get under her skin. Finding a way to piss her off became a game to him. His hopes of one day just getting her to go away and never come back seemed to fuel that arrogant side of him.

"What do you mean? I didn't _do_ anything to him," She clinched her abs tightly in hopes that she could actually make herself vomit. The thought made her smile to herself.

"He's all giggly now. What did you do, work some voodoo on him or something? Or did what's between your legs get his nose open?" He asked, letting a thin smile cross his lips.

"Excuse me?" _He's suck a fucking pig. I don't know why in the world Dave is friends with him. _She had asked Dave over and over again what he saw in Hunter. Why would anyone willing be in any kind of relationship with him, be it friendship or otherwise, she would never understand.

"I'm just saying he needs to keep that edge to sell tickets. You got him fucking skipping around here like a little school girl." His gaze became intense, letting her know that there was more to just the back hand comment. He meant every word he had said to her. Dave _was_ losing his edge; she was making him soft, which could mean a loss of profit for him and his family.

"Dude, leave her alone. Dave's just happy, he's in love," Randy said putting his arm around her shoulder. She patted Randy's arm and shot Hunter a look. He smirked made a kiss face at her, finding that extra touch twisted the knife even more.

When Dave came back to the table he noticed the smug grin on Hunter's face. "You're not being a dick are you?" Hunter held up his hands and stood up. He patted Dave on the shoulder and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Chase pulled into the driveway of her mom's house, sitting in the car a bit longer to hear the rest of 'Call Me When You're Sober' play on her radio. She casually watched as Maddy paced the walk way yapping away on her cell phone.

"Hey," she said getting the last of her bags out of her trunk. "Mom home?" Maddy nodded absently at Chase before hanging up.

"Yeah, she's upstairs yelling at Alli for not cleaning her room. You talk to Daddy?" Maddy asked, trying to mask her jealousy that Chase got to spend the weekend with their father and she did not.

"Yeah. He's picking me up at the airport. Britain's with him." Chase threw in as she rounded the car and started up the walk.

"That should be cool. Maybe you two can go shopping or something." Chase had all the luck. Maddy couldn't help but to feel envious. Not only was she going to get to see Dave, and Randy, who she thought was the best cutest thing since Brad Pitt, but now she going to get to hang out with Britain. Britain was a model, she was beautiful, rich, well traveled and got to party with big time celebrities. She always wanted to hang out with Britain; she wanted to be just like her. Chase shrugged, showing disappointment that she would have to share Dave while she was with him. "Could be worse," Maddy said sitting on the steps blocking Chase from entering the house. "He still could be married to Angie." The thought made both girls cringe.

Neither of them liked Angie very much. It wasn't that she wasn't nice to them, because she was, but, she had so many rules. When he was married to her, the house was like a museum. It was cold and dark and you could not touch anything. She was meticulous about everything. She wasn't right for their dad. He was laid back and fun, and she was uptight and stiff. They knew it would not last and it came as no surprise when he told them he was getting divorced after just being married to her for a year.

"It'll be fun. I'll make the best of it. At least I get to see him now. You guys won't until he comes home in two weeks." Chase picked up her bags and noticed the slight disappointment in Maddy's face. "Come one squirt. I bought you a couple things while I was out." That was enough to place a smile on Maddy's face and the two girls ran into the house laughing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm never drinking again!" She swore it, she promised it, she felt it. She laid on the bed wondering how she could make the room stop spinning. "If you see me with another drink ever, just kill me. God's punishing me you know." She closed her eyes, which made the dizziness worse. If she could just get to sleep, everything would be ok.

He sat on the bed next to her and gently rubbed her tummy. He heard her sigh heavily and watched her close her eyes. With any luck his gentle hand motions would put her to sleep and he could go to the gym without worrying about her asphyxiating. "Babe," She let out a soft moan to let him know that she was listening. "I'm sorry about this mix up with Chase coming. I really thought we would have some time alone."

She opened one eye slightly to see him looking down at her. "Why are you sorry? I love Chase. At least now I'll have someone to do girly things with instead of your stupid friends." She cracked a smile, but she found that made her head hurt more.

"Why do you always call them stupid? I thought you liked my friends." Granted, he did not like most of her friends either, but he still respected the fact that she liked them.

"They're not all stupid; just Hunter. He's an asshole. I like John, Ric and Randy though. When you five get together, you just all act stupid." There, she finally admitted that the groups' juvenile dynamic irritated her more than the people within the group.

"Why don't you like Hunt? He's not bad once you get to know him." He thought about that comment _after_ he had said it. Hunter _was_ an asshole; they all knew it. He really could not say, why exactly it was that he hung out with him. He respected Hunter, he knew this business, but he was a little hard to take at time, there was no denying that.

"He's an asshole, Dave. I don't care how you try to justify it."

"You know, they say you can tell what kind a person you are by the company you keep. So if Hunt's an ass, and I hang out with him, what does that make me?" He smiled at her awaiting her answer.

"You're an asshole too." The room spun at ludicrous speed as she laughed at his reaction to her response.

"Oh really? I'll show you an asshole..." He said and gently kissed her stomach.

She was unable to understand the rest of what he saying because she was suddenly aware of his lips slowly kissing her and his hands moving up her side. Only he could make her feel like she was in the mood for an afternoon delight, when she was hung over, nauseous and on the brink of death. But, feeling his mouth on her stomach had made all of that part go away.

"Do you two ever fucking quit? You're like that damn bunny on TV," Hunter asked standing by the bed.

Dave looked up to see Hunter, Cena, Orton and Flair standing there watching them. She remembered dropping her purse by the door when they came in and the strap must have caught preventing the door from closing all the way.

"Do you ever fucking knock?" Britain rolled her eyes at him, while pulling her shirt back down. _I really can't stand him._

"Well I won't have to if this whipped bitch was ready to go to the gym. Besides, the door was open." Hunter shot back kicking Dave's foot.

"Fuck you, I am ready," Dave said getting up. She couldn't help but to smile seeing the way he and Hunter interacted.

She loved watching them all together. Even though she didn't like Hunter, he fit the cast so well. Each one of them was like a character out of a bad after school special.

Ric was the funny one, always playing practical jokes or giving horrible advice about life, women, whatever; everyone knew to take him with a grain of salt. But the women flocked to him. He rarely slept alone. He had this majestic personality, he was the kind of man you just wanted to be around. However, he had a quick temper and usually ended up cursing someone out before the night was through.

Hunter was the mean one. His head so far up his own ass that he forbade anyone to call him by his real name, Paul. He was so into this "Triple H" thing that everyone referred to him as Hunter; even his wife. His face was always broken down and he was quick to catch an attitude. Hunter had been married for several years and although he loved his wife he rarely spent time with her. He liked to go out and meet women, but he never took them home. He just enjoyed their company.

John was her favorite. He was the loud ghetto one. He lacked that filter in his brain that tells you to think before you speak. He just blurted things out and was often confused when everyone around him started laughing. He like loud cars, loud music and loud women, hell _he_ was loud. When they went out, John stayed around the raunchiest women. He usually took the nastiest one back to his room.

Randy was the baby. Everyone looked out for him. He was a cocky bastard, but he was a good guy. He and John were best friends, but Randy was the calmer of the two. Randy was also in awe of Dave. He spent most of his time picking Dave's brain, studying his movements and trying to be just like him. He even have a habit of calling him, bro. Randy was also the playboy of the bunch. He liked to see how many girls he could get in one night. It became sort of game for him. Dave chalked it up to youth, but Randy had an appetite for women that he couldn't control.

Then there was Dave. He was the big guy, the muscle of the group. While the others talked a lot, he was the enforcer. He was relatively quiet, compared to the rest of them and was definitely the most laid back. But when one of his friends needed him, he'd whip ass first and ask questions later. Dave also acquired the role as the "pretty boy". He was always well dressed and impeccably groomed. Women came to him in droves, but he usually had a girlfriend so he didn't care much for all of the attention he received. He found he was most attracted to the women who paid him no attention.

There they were, five of the finest men in the business, acting like 10th graders. She could not for the life of her figure out why they were that way, but if she were to remain with Dave, she would have to live with it. She loved him enough to put up with them, even if she thought they were stupid.

Dave leaned over the bed and kissed her again. "Get some sleep. I'll see you later."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The trip to the gym was typical. Four of them ganged up on one person and today, it just so happened to be Dave's turn to be the focal point of endless taunts.

"I ain't ever seen you this hung up on some girl, pretty boy," John said slapping Dave in the back of his head. He ran before Dave could set down his dumbbell and kick his ass.

"So, it's getting pretty serious, bro? You been together for a minute…" Randy commented.

Dave smirked. He couldn't tell his friends how much he was in love with her. It's not that he was afraid of them razzing him; it was that there weren't words to describe it. There were so many things about her that drove his crazy. For example, he loved her eyes. When she got mad, they turned blue, when she was happy, they were grey. He loved to piss her off one minute and make her smile the next, just so he could see them change color. She also had this smile that would melt your heart. It was the kind of smile that you could not help but to smile back at. Her smile made the room seem brighter, it made you forget whatever you were thinking about before, because you could only concentrate on how beautiful it was. He could go on and on for ever about all the things he loved about her, but he would never let them know that.

"You whipped bitch." Hunter laughed at him as he walked over to the weights. "All you fucking do is drool over her. It's not like you never got laid before. Damn, it can't be that fucking good."

Dave smiled to himself. Y_ou have no idea._

"Gentlemen." Ric interrupted. There comes a time in every man's life when he meets the one woman who changes everything. He finds he can talk to her about everything, he wants to share his dreams with her. And the fact that she will fuck him every which way to Sunday, doesn't hurt either."

Dave ignored the comment and started bench press. He silently listened to Hunter go on and on about him being whipped. So what if he was whipped; which he was not. Would it be that bad? Here Ric was going through his fourth divorce, Randy and John were single and Hunter's marriage, well was sort of an enigma to everyone. He was the only happily involved one there, and they made it seem like it was a death sentence.

"What's your problem with her anyway?" Dave asked. He knew Hunter seemed to have a particular fondness to pissing her off. Not that Hunter didn't piss off everyone, he just seemed to enjoy it more if it was her.

Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "Besides the fact that she turned your whining ass into a bitch, nothing. You should be asking her what her problem is with me."

Dave shook his head. "She just thinks your mean."

"Mean? Mean? What are you, a woman now? Call me a prick, asshole, dickhead something; mean? She even has you talking like her. I bet she has your bitch ass in high heels too."

Dave stood up and flexed his pecs at Hunter. "You want some? I'll show you who the bitch is."

As Hunter approached Dave, he noticed that Dave was no longer smiling. Standing in Dave's face he said seriously, "Just admit it. You're fucking whipped."

"It's either that or you've been using Hunt's five options." John walked between Hunter and Dave and smiled.

"And what five options are those?" Hunter asked stepping back to look at John.

"One, two, three four, five." John laughed while holding out his had and curling his fingers into a loose fist, motioning it by his crotch. "You five work it out well, don't you Hunt?"

"Fuck you!" Hunter said laughing as hard as the others.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff sat in his hotel room, roaming through his playlist. He needed a soundtrack for the task at hand. Carefully, he opened two packages of hair color, and mixed them in a small bowl. He stuck his earphones in his ears and walked into the bathroom. He applied the blue dye to the front of his hair, not quite sure if it was the color he actually wanted. Reading the packages of dye again, he sat on the toilet waiting for the color to take.

After 10 minutes of processing, he turned on the tub. Dying his hair usually helped him feel better. It was something about changing his look that kept him feeling like a new person. He only hoped that it would work again this time. He really didn't care if he blew himself up, washing out the dye with the earphones on. He was actually looking forward to having that spiky hair look. He watched the blue dye go down the drain and let out a long sigh. _You can do this Nero. It's better than it was before. _Although he didn't believe his words or burst in to flames, he was determined to make the best of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Are you sure you have the right flight number?" Dave paced nervously at the American Airlines terminal. He had checked the flight arrival time three times already and his watch more than that. "She should've gotten off already." He imagined every horrible thing that could have possibly happened to her flying from Tampa to LA alone. "Maybe she missed her connecting flight, or maybe they got delayed from that storm in the mid-west."

"Davey… the plane just landed ten minutes ago. Give her a minute to get her stuff off the plane." How could Britain be so calm? How could she just sit there and flip through a magazine? For all she knew his daughter could have been locked in the bathroom of the plane and would remain there until it landed somewhere else, far away from him.

Just as he walked up to the ticket counter to demand that they search the plane for her, he spotted her.

Chase walked slowly down the ramp with a carry on bag on her shoulder and loosely clutching a beaten up brown stuffed dog, which he recognized immediately. It was Scraps. She had slept with Scraps since she was two years old. He knew because he had bought him for her. Scraps was her present from him at the adoption. It was just a little token to show her that even when he was away, she could hold Scraps and know that he was thinking about her. Knowing that she kept him, and needed him close by was enough to fill his heart.

Chase Erin Batista was just about as beautiful as they come. At 5'5", and 110 pounds, he knew that she would be breaking hearts and taking names. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a long French braid, making her round face look softer. You would be taken aback by her long eyelashes, that is if you could get past her eyes long enough to see them. Chase had piercingly dark blue eyes. Her eyes sucked you in as soon as you saw them, they took you prisoner and you would spend the rest of your life trying to look behind those eyes to see what she was thinking. Chase's face looked the same as it had when she was a baby. It was soft and round and seated perfectly in both cheeks were two of the deepest dimples ever created. It was hard to believe that she was going to twenty in a few weeks, when she looked like she was four. She was the quintessential fantasy of young boys everywhere, the kind that made them hope that good girls really did turn bad.

"I thought I was going to have to call the US Marshals. What took you so long to get off the plane?" He hugged her tightly. It felt too good to hold her; he had almost forgotten how good it felt until she was in his arms again.

"I couldn't find Scraps. He fell under the seat and I had to wait for everyone to get off so I could get on the floor to find him." Chase admitted melting into her father's embrace.

"I'm surprised you still carry that thing around with you." Dave knew Chase did not remember how she became the owner of the significant toy, but she loved him just the same.

"This is my friend Daddy, where I go, he goes. Somebody's got to watch out for me when you're not around." Dave made sure to give her another hug, touched by the sentiment.

Britain and Chase hugged and walked away from Dave leaving him to carry the bags while they caught up. It had taken all of five minutes for Chase to find something more interesting than him. Although he was happy that his two best girls got along, he secretly wished that either one of them would pay him _some_ attention. He shook his head, picked up the bags and followed behind them to the truck.

"You're staying for two days, why do you need so much stuff?" He said opening the trunk. He knew that she would want to start to bring some of her stuff out to her new place now, but this was ridiculous. The bags felt like she was bringing everything she owned, like she would never be coming home on breaks or the holidays. He couldn't help but to think that allowing her to live on her own, was going to be something that he would soon regret.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff sat hunched over the chair in the hotel lobby, trying desperately not to pay attention to strands of blue hair falling in his face. He looked at his pad, then back up at Matt. He was concentrating too hard. He'd drawn Matt thousands of times before, but now it was a challenge. He wasn't sure if it was the way that Matt was sitting, or if it were because Matt would not keep still; all he knew was this was harder then it needed to be.

Jeff needed inspiration, something other than the ugly mug of Matt. Although, Matt have certain features that he loved to capture, for example his pouty lips, his unruly curly hair, and his perfectly aligned ears; today, not even Matt's best features made any difference. To be an artist and to have nothing was like being suffocated slowly. Jeff knew he had all of these ideas in his head, he saw visions of this wonderful art full of color and life, he heard music that he needed to be playing and heard poems that he needed to recite. The only problem was these artistic pieces of Jeff were stuck in his head, and they wouldn't come out. No matter how hard he tried, something blocked his creative flow and it was more than being sober.

Ultimately defeated, Jeff slammed his book closed. He looked past Matt and saw a sight that made him suck in his breath. An angel, there was actually an angel walking right through the door. "An angel." Jeff's abrupt admission of a divine being made Matt whip his head around immediately. "An angel… on the arm of Dave Batista?"

Jeff watched the pretty blonde stroll into the lobby and walk over toward the front desk. He noticed how the girl stood with her arm looped in Dave's, but not with her body pressed up against his. Jeff surmised by her body language that she was comfortable with him, but didn't _want _himJust looking at her made the colors in his mind come to life. He could feel the twitching in his index finger as he watched her laugh with Dave. He had found it; he found the muse that he needed to create.

Matt watched in wonderment as his younger brother stared hopelessly at the girl who walked in the room. "She's trouble Jeff. Better not mess with that one." Jeff had a tendency to fall for the wrong type of girl. She was usually very pretty and very not Jeff's type. Jeff was a wild child, a free spirit; he needed someone who could understand that, let him be weird and still love him unconditionally. But it never happened that way. Jeff would meet women that wanted to change him, restrict him and jade his picture of the world.

"Shut up, Matt. She's beautiful…like one of those cherubs." Jeff shot back without taking his eyes off of Chase.

"What's a cherub?" Matt asked, wondering if it was something that Jeff had just made up. Jeff always did have a way of talking about things as if everyone else around knew what was going on.

She was an angel, he was sure of it. He knew because in the 30 seconds had saw her, could vividly remember every single thing about her face. Only divine intervention could have done that. "Second choir of angels…" Jeff started letting his voice trail off. Matt sat staring at him, not knowing what the hell he was talking about. Jeff studied her face, making mental notes on how perfect it was. Her face was round creating soft curves at her jaw line. Her hair was the color of gold, that he was sure was only to accent her halo. Her eyes were too blue, the held the color of the sky and the sea; that color could not be anything else but divine.

He'd begged his muses long enough for inspiration, not of the chemical sort and they finally listened. _This girl was sent down from heaven to inspire me, they dropped her in the middle of this very hotel… _Jeff held his breath. _But they put her on the arm of one of the biggest men in the business. _His muses were at work alright, up to their normal trickery, trying to get him in trouble. Dave was an obstacle, but he couldn't concentrate on that right now. Right now, he was inspired and he had to get her on canvas, before he lost it again.

A loud crash pulled Jeff from out of his daydreaming. He looked down to find all of his crayons, colored pencils, sketches, inks, erasures, and chalks roll mercilessly across the room. Sometime during his revelation of a divine presence, he must have stood up, dropping the plastic supply box to the floor.

"Smooth, Jeffro, real smooth." Matt laughed patting Jeff on the chest. He watched Matt laugh at him and make his way to the elevator, while he cursed him under his breath. Jeff turned back toward his art supplies to see his angel girl kneeling on the floor in front of him.

"You got a lot of stuff." Jeff smiled and held his breath at the same time as she spoke. He told his hands to stay by his sides, forcing himself not to give in to impulse and touch her face. He had to know was her skin as soft as the rounded curves of her cheeks made them out to appear.

"Yeah." That's all his brain could come up with. _What do you say to an angel? It's not like you see one everyday._

"You actually use it all?" He couldn't believe it; she was actually talking, to him! He had never before known his muses to actually get into a conversation with him; they just usually gave him trouble.

He couldn't get his brain to respond properly; before he knew it his lips were moving. "I never know when I'm gonna to see somethin' beautiful." He was an idiot. He was sure that she was going to slap him and run and tell Dave. He held in his breath and waited for the fatal blow, but to his surprise she laughed.

Dave turned to see Chase laughing with Jeff Hardy. Seeing his daughter kneeling with him and laughing made his jaw and fights clinch instantly. Her laughter bothered him. It was the kind of innocent laughter that he had heard before, it was the kind that made you want to do anything to hear it again, and it was the kind that Britain made whenever he was around.

Before he could take a step toward them, Britain rubbed her hand down his back. "You ok?" She had seen Chase go over to help Jeff, but she knew that Jeff was harmless. Sure, he was a bit strange, but he was a sweetheart.

Dave nodded and turned back toward the desk. He swore he wouldn't treat Chase like she was a baby during this trip. This was supposed to be a relaxing two days. But he couldn't help but to be uncomfortable.

"Ah, damn!" Chase turned around to see a smiling John and Randy standing behind her. She stood up and hugged John. A flash of heat overcame her as she put her head on John's chest and felt his arms encircle her. She completely forgot about Jeff, her dad and everyone else for that matter. All she knew was John Cena was holding her and she couldn't stop blushing.

"Baby girl! When the hell did you grow up?" John said while pulling away from her. He spun her around and indulged himself in her very well put together body. If she weren't Dave's daughter, she would definitely be someone that he would get with. She had long legs, a round bottom, a nice rack and a naturally toned body. Yeah, Chase would be in a trouble if he didn't know her father.

Randy pushed John aside and hugged Chase too. "What brings you to town? Checking in on the old man?" Randy thought Chase was beautiful too. She was a little too innocent for him, but she definitely was a looker.

"I'm moving into my first apartment." Chase squealed grabbing John's hand. "Can you believe it, Daddy finally said yes."

"Apartment? What are you, like 12? How the hell you get your own place?" John teased. He knew full well she was an adult, but she was like a kid to him. It was hard to believe that this little girl that he had known since he and Dave were at OVW, was now in fact, all grown up.

"I will be twenty in two weeks." She held up two fingers to emphasize the point.

"Get your hands off my daughter." Dave smiled as he kindly unlatched her hand from John's.

John stepped back with his hands up. "Big man, I wasn't doin' nothin'. I swear. Not yet anyway." Before he had a chance to move, Dave's open palm made contact with the back of his head. He was sure that Dave didn't mean to hit as hard as he did, but the pain in his head did not reflect that.

"Jeff." Dave stuck out his hand towards him.

"Dave." Jeff responded by sticking out his hand too.

Dave took his hand and shook it. He left his hand on Jeff's a little longer than necessary, and squeezed it a little harder than necessary. Jeff got the point loud and clear, this girl was _not_ for him.

"We need to get your stuff upstairs, if we're going to make it to registration by two." Chase's father informed her, in his authoritative voice.

Chase turned to Jeff, who was unconsciously opening and closing his hand, trying to get the circulation back. She reached out her hand gave him back a few erasers that she had picked up. With his good hand, he opened it to accept the small items. She gently let her fingertips brush his palm, which sent a small chill through his body. He looked her in the eye, and smiled back at her. "I hope you find something beautiful soon." She said softly and turned away. Jeff smiled and watched her walk to the elevator.

_I already have._ Jeff smiled as the elevator doors closed and then she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Dave Batista drove silently toward the large Tutor style house in San Diego. He had to admit, it had been a pretty good day; even if it wasn't what he had planned. He was happy to see his daughter and his girlfriend talking in the car as they drove to Chase's school. Chase sat in the backseat and Britain in the front. She might as well have been in the back because she sat facing Chase for the entire drive. He half heartily listened to two of them talk about everything from the new fall fashions, to the who's who of the Hollywood party scene.

The visit to UCLA had been a good one. Chase registered for much harder classes than he would have, but she was smart and she could handle it. She got her schedule: Economics, Anatomy & Physiology, European Renaissance, and Intro to Drawing. She had not declared a major, so she took classes that she thought "may be fun". He, on the other hand, did not think they sounded that fun when the book store informed him that her books would cost $600.

Even the trip to her new apartment had not been as bad as he was expecting. The 3 bedroom apartment sat four blocks from the main campus. Although it was in a nice, quiet, gated community, he still didn't like it. He had checked the place out, several times before he agreed to let her move; but he still did not feel safe with her being there, alone.

"I'm not alone. I've got 2 roommates!" Chase defended throwing two of her bags in the middle of the empty room with balcony that overlooked the park. They had been over this more times than she cared to count.

"You _are_ alone. You have no adult supervision." He corrected as he placed a large trunk on the floor.

"Daddy, I'm an adult. I can supervise myself." The smile she gave him didn't help her case any. She may have been an adult by age, but she was a baby to him. That face just proved the point. He shook his head and mumbled to himself that this was a bad idea, as he slowly walked into the living room.

He wrapped his large arms around Britain and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm not over reacting, am I?" Hoping that she would say no, he waited to see what she would say.

"You just want her to be safe. Hey…what if I got X to come by and check on her?"

The thought made him burst out with laughter. X couldn't keep track of her own clothes most of the time, how the hell was she going to look out for his child. _If she could stop partying and screwing every guy she met, why not have her come over and show the kid how a proper young lady should act._ He could feel Britain's eyes looking at him for an answer. "No way."

She enclosed her arms around his waist, before patting his backside. "I could ask my parents or my brother to keep an eye out for her."

He halted before he protested. That actually wasn't such a bad idea. Britain's brother _was_ a grad student at UCLA. Her parents lived in Santa Diego, only 10 miles from the school. If there were an emergency, any one of them could be there in about five minutes.

"You don't think they'd mind?" He wondered how her father would respond to the request to watch out for _his_ child, which was something that he should be there to do.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Matt?" Jeff casually walked toward the window in his brother's hotel room. "Did you know Dave Batista had kids?" He wanted to come right out and ask if Matt knew anything about his daughter, but he didn't want to hear Matt's mouth. Matt and Dave were better friends than he and Dave were. Matt and Dave's friendship started during the time while Dave was with the Dudley Boyz as Deacon Batista.

"Yeah, he's got three." Matt said looking through his bag. Jeff shrugged and continued looking out the window. "All girls. I'm not sure how old they are now, but the oldest one should be about 20, 21, somethin' like that."

"She'll be 20 in two weeks." Jeff spat out without thinking.

Matt shook his head. "How'd you know that?"

Jeff smiled a little and thought of a way to answer the question without sounding stupid. "She was the blonde with him downstairs."

Matt looked at Jeff in disbelief. "That was Chase? Good God, she grew up fast. She was about 14 the last time I saw her. She had these huge braces and these skinny legs. It's amazin' what puberty can do…" Matt shook his head and went back to his bag. He paused and looked up at Jeff again. "Oh no. Not that one. She's _not_ for you, Jeffro."

Jeff shrugged off Matt's warning. _Chase. How fitting. She was sent to chase away my creative block or that I will Dave Batista be chasing me for looking at her the wrong way?_ Either way, he knew this would not be the last time he saw her.

It couldn't be.

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Britain stepped out of the truck and waited to walk up the driveway with Dave and Chase. She looked at her parents' house and with affection. She loved that house. Although she was born and raised back East, her family came to California when she was fourteen. She missed Baltimore, but quickly considered this house in San Diego her home.

She opened the door and looked in the living room. To her surprise, no one was in there. Her dad was _always_ in the living room watching TV; but today he wasn't. "Hello." She called out as Dave and Chase took a seat on the couch.

From out of the kitchen a tall, handsome man with grey hair and a strong jaw line, walked in the room. To look at him, you wouldn't think that he was related to her, until you saw his eyes. She had definitely inherited those pale blue-grey eyes from her father.

"Vati!" she smiled and ran to hug him.

"Halo, liebchen." He replied hugging his daughter and kissing her on the cheek. "You come home and don't call your own fazer?" His deep German accent was tickled by his gentle laughter.

"I'd like you to meet my father, Johan Weis. Vati, this is Chase, Dave's daughter." Johan regarded Chase with a huge smile and a warm hug. Urging both Dave and Chase to have a seat, he retreated to the kitchen to get beverages, while Britain ran upstairs to find her mother and to see if her younger brother was around.

The living room was large room, decorated in soft yellows and oranges. There was very little in the room in the way of ornaments, but it was heavily decorated with family photos. There were pictures of her father as a child in Munich, of her mom outside of their house in Baltimore, and one of Britain and her brother as children on the beach with no teeth. Dave couldn't help but to smile to see her as a child.

Chase walked over to the mantle and looked at a family portrait of the Weis' that had to have been 10 years old. She recognized Johan immediately. His hair was more of a sandy brown than it was now, but he still looked the same. Next to Johan, who was easily 6'2", was a rather short woman with a toffee complexion. She was about 5 feet, if she were that tall. She had long wavy black hair, much like Britain's. In fact, if Britain were that dark and had hazel eyes, she would swear that _was_ her.

"Is this her mom?" Chase asked. Dave walked over to the mantel and looked at the picture with his daughter.

"Yeah. That's Mia." He smiled at the picture. If history was true to form, Britain would end up looking just like her when she got older. At 54, Mia was still a very beautiful woman; he would even venture to say that she was sexy. He smiled at the prospect of Britain still being that hot at that age. "One of her parents is Black and the other is Mexican." Dave explained regarding Mia's dark skin. Chase nodded. S_o that's how Britain tans so well._

"That's her little brother, Croix." Dave said pointing to the teenaged boy in the picture. He was an attractive young man. He looked exactly like Johan, but with Mia's color. And next to Croix stood Britain. Her creamy complexion was a perfect result of her mother's bronze and her father's pale skin.

Chase moved over the mantel and read the wedding announcement that was encased in a bronze frame. _We are proud to announce the marriage of our children: Johan Helmut Weis and Mia Pilar Johnson, 21 June 1977, Maria Plain Salzburg, Austria. _

She also noticed the porcelain baby shoes which were inscribed with _Britain Magdalena Weis _and the silver pair that held the name, _Croix Alejandro Weis_. She turned to her father and tried not to laugh, "Her initials are BMW? That's too funny." Dave laughed too.

Britain ran down the stairs followed by Mia. "Ma, this is Chase. Chase this is my Ma, Mia." Walking into the kitchen, she saw Mia shake hands with Chase and walk over to Dave and hug him tightly.

At Mia's suggestion, they retreated to the deck for lunch. Croix had called and said that he was running late, so they should start with him. "So, Britain and Croix are really unusual names. How'd you come up with those?" Chase asked Mia, while handing her the salad. Mia and Britain both knew this was Johan's favorite story, so they sat back and let him tell it.

"When I was a young man, in Munich, I work as a banker with Deutsch Bank Alex. Brown. I come to this country on business and I met my Mia. She was so beautiful; I knew if I went home, I had to have her. So we got married. About 1 year after marriage, we were traveling. Somewhere between Whales and Scotland, she was made…" He gestured toward Britain, "We call her Britain because we don't know exactly where it happened; we just know it was in Great Britain." He left out the part of the story of how they came to the US after they found out that she was on the way. He took a transfer to the Baltimore branch of Deutsche Bank, so that Mia could be near her family when the baby came.

"Now Croix, happened during our anniversary when Britain was three. Can you guess were we went?" Mia laughed.

"St. Croix?" Chase laughed back.

Mia went on to explain how her children hated their names, but should be lucky that they weren't conceived in Hong Kong or Bangladesh or somewhere like that. Those names would have been much worse.

"What does 'fah-tee' mean?" Chase asked looking at Britain.

"It's Vati, with a V. In German, father is Vater, so, Vati is like Daddy." Britain said as she wrapped her arms around her father's arm and put her head on his shoulder.

Dave laughed; no matter how much she told him before, it was funny to see how much of a daddy's girl she actually was. "See, you're not the only grown woman who still calls the old man, Daddy." He said nudging Chase in the arm.

"So you speak German?" Chase asked again. Britain nodded.

"Zey both do. I make sure my children, know their culture." Johan said smiling proudly.

"They speak Spanish too." Mia piped in.

"You have no idea how confusing it was growing up. Depending on which grandparents' house we were at, we didn't know what language to speak. But it was cool. My brother and Ma were always whispering in Spanish to each other and me and Vati, in German. But you know what's funny? He can't speak Spanish and she can't speak German." Britain said touching her mother's arm.

Dave smiled tenderly at the closeness of her family. He finally felt safe that his daughter would be in good hands with them around. Johan was all too happy to have a new girl to look out for. He promised that he would check on her at least once a week and he would have Croix look out for her on campus.

Dave left feeling like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Britain walked across the hotel room in a tank top and panties. She was rambling on about how good it was to see her parents and that how she was going to try to get out there again in September. She looked over at Dave who was sitting on the bed with his back propped up against the headboard, carelessly flipping through the channels.

"You ok?" She asked sitting on his thighs facing him. He scooted up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She felt his strong arms come around her as let her hands run down his hard muscular chest. He nodded and put his head on her shoulder. "She's a good girl. Besides, my dad will take good care of her. Look how good I turned out." She smiled with a wicked grin.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "That makes me feel _so _much better." If Chase turned out to be anything like Britain, he was sure he'd end up in jail. Britain was amazing, but, she was amazing for _him._ Chase would never know half of the things that Britain did…she would _never_ do half of the things that Britain could.

She kissed him full on the mouth and laughed. "She'll be fine. She's not a baby anymore."

Dave leaned back and studied her beautiful face. With one hand he gently moved her soft hair over the back of her shoulder. "Thank you." He said low and even.

"For what?" She gave him her smile, the smile that melted his heart every time he saw it. The smile that made her eyes turn grey.

"For being with us today… for not getting mad about Chase being here… for asking your folks to keep an eye on her… for everything." He couldn't possibly tell her everything that he was thankful to her about, but that was a good start.

"I didn't do those things for you to thank me. I did them because I love you." Her answer was simple, but truthful. Everything she had done was all out of love for him. She'd actually done them without thinking about it at all.

His lips moved and made words, '_I love you'_, just before he kissed her. She knew by the strength of his kiss and his tongue slowly prying her mouth open wider, what that kiss was going to lead to. She half heartily tried to pull back, but when his mouth reached her neck, she heard a small moan escaped her lips; there was no turning back.

"We can't do this…" She giggled at his gentle biting on her neck. "You're daughter is in the next room."

He would have promised her anything, just to hear the giggle in her voice again. "We'll be quiet."

Her hand traveled over the back of his head. She knew he was lying. "You're never quiet." She smiled just before his kisses trailed down to her chest.

So what if Hunter was right? He _was_ whipped, and right there at that moment, it didn't seem so bad at all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase laid in her bed holding Scraps tightly. She silently listened to the soft gasps and moans coming from her dad's room. She couldn't help but to wonder what it was like. She'd never been in love before; she just barely kissed a guy. She was envious of Britain, because she knew what it was like to be in a relationship, to be pleasured by the man of dreams, to have him tell him he loved her and mean it.

"I can't listen to this." She said getting out of bed. Putting on a pair of boxers over her underwear, she untucked her t-shirt, donned her slippers and headed out of her room.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The hotel pool was surprisingly well lit for it to be so dark outside. Chase gently opened the swinging gate that held the crooked sign reading: NO LIFE GUARD ON DUTY. SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Finally, it was quiet. There was no one there to interrupt her thoughts. She walked further into the area and spotted a man with the blue hair and a sketch pad. She approached the table curiously and stood silently watching him. He was listening to his I-pod, mouthing some song and frantically coloring something on the pad.

Jeff spotted a figure next to him out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw his muse in front of him, and his throat instantly went dry.

"You know, you're gonna go blind drawing in the dark." Her smile was devilish and unyielding.

Jeff took off his earphones and smiled back. "There's plenty of light." He replied pointing up to the light above his head. He watched her cautiously and made a quick glance of the landscape to make sure Dave wasn't hiding in the bushes.

She sat on the chair next to him without being invited. "So…did you find something beautiful?" She asked folding her hands on the table, mere inches from his. He swallowed hard and gave her a goofy grin. "I'm Chase." She held out her hand toward him.

He stared at that hand for a second, before his breath finally came back into his lungs. He extended his hand and touched hers lightly. "Jeff. Jeff Hardy."

She giggled at him again. "I know who you are."

Jeff was stunned. This girl with the dazzling blue eyes knew who he was. _Tricky muses. You're not going to trip me up again. Not this time._

"My dad's a wrestler, remember? I think I've watched every match from the last 10 years. I can tell you all the belts you've won, your signature moves and anything else about your career." She nodded her head mater-of-factly.

He was too captivated by her dimples to realize that she was finished talking. "Doesn't seem fair." He heard himself say. Her big blue eyes searched his for an explanation. "You know all this stuff 'bout me. I don't know nothin' 'bout you."

Chase found Jeff's slight southern drawl attractive, the way the words dripped off his lips and the way he didn't pronounce the g's at the end of his words. She could listen to that drawl for hours. "There's nothing to tell really. Let's see…I live in Tampa with my mom. I'm a sophomore at UCLA, I have no idea what I want to study, and my dad finally let me get my own apartment. I'm the oldest of three, all girls, and I have no pets and no life because my dad treats me like I'm nine years old." She heard herself laugh, even though the last part of that statement she found to be anything but amusing.

"Wow. You said that without takin' one breath." Jeff was impressed. For the longest time, he thought he was the only person who could ramble non-stop without breathing. "So what you doin' out here this late? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He knew he shouldn't be asking her why she was there. Truth be told, he was glad she was.

"My dad and Britain are _doing it_. It's kinda gross to listen to your father have sex." Her admission made her cheeks get hot. _I don't believe I just said that. God, he probably thinks I'm an idiot. _She cursed herself, but smiled when Jeff burst out laughing.

"That_ is_ kinda gross, when you put it that way." Jeff said unable to control his giggles. "Britain, huh? So that's her name."

A small frown crossed Chase's lips. Even though he hadn't say anything more about her, just the fact that he was wondering her name made her a little jealous. Britain always had men drooling over her. Chase was beautiful, but she lacked one very important thing; sex appeal. Britain was an exotic beauty. She had a beautiful complexion, long wavy dark hair, beautiful eyes that didn't match her features, a curvaceous ethnic body type complete with a long torso that showed off her perfectly flat stomach, incredibly small waste and round hips. Britain was the type of woman that looked like she belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated or Maxim Magazine; not like Chase who could have easily made the centerfold for Blue's Clues weekly.

Jeff noticed her frown and he smiled at her.

She sighed and looked around the pool. "So what 'cha drawing?"

Jeff ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "Stuff." He finally answered.

She motioned to the corner of the book and looked at him for permission to see it.

_Don't do it Nero. Don't let her see the book. She's gonna think you're a stalker! _Before he could protest his hands acted on their own accord and slid it over to her.

She started at the beginning. He was a great artist. There were drawings of hands, feet, curly hair and eyes; lots of eyes. She flipped over the first few pages and found a page with nothing but almond shaped eyes that were colored in a pale blue-grey. The eyes were beautiful, wanting, haunting. She knew right away they were Britain's. She looked up at him, with her lips slightly parted. She started to say something, but she couldn't. If she could draw, she'd probably obsess over Britain, too.

"She's got great eyes." Jeff defended after reading her face. He knew he didn't have to explain his art to her or anyone else, but he felt like he wanted to.

She flipped through a few more pages. There were flowers, a baby's feet, a self portrait, and then the next page made her breath catch in the back of her throat. There was a drawing of her face. The next page was her profile, followed by her dark blue eyes. There was a drawing of her hand including the small ring she wore on her index finger, her cheeks including her dimples and the last page he had started to draw a full body picture of her. "Wow…" She was stunned. He was actually drawing _her?_ He'd seen her for all of 5 minutes, and he was able to do all that.

"I needed to see somethin' beautiful." He admitted putting his head down, hoping that his cheeks weren't bright red by now.

She was awe struck. Jeff noticed the flush red color as it touched her perfectly rounded cheek and her dimples grow deeper the harder she tried not to smile. "So if you're an artist, why do you wrestle?" She asked trying to change the subject. She slid the sketch pad back to him.

"Wrestlin's like art. Instead of puttin' colors on a canvas, you just use your whole body to be artistic. That's why I do the high acrobatic stuff. I like the feelin' of soarin' through the air; flyin's an art form." He was doing it again; being weird. He tried to stop himself from talking, but his lips were having a hard time listening over the pounding of his heart.

"Do you do anything else? Besides, draw?" She asked curiously.

"I write poetry, and music. I gotta band, I'm the singer. Let's see, I sculpt, paint, ride dirt bikes, ATVs, extreme sports...you know, typical trailer park stuff."

Chase's eyes grew big. "My dad would never let me do anything like that; racing and stuff. I was a cheerleader, and on the debate club, you know safe stuff like that." The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how sheltered she was. "You know what I'd like? I'd like to do something crazy. Just for once in my life. Just be crazy and not have to worry about ruining my dad's perfect image of me."

"Well, you said you got your own place now. Why don't you do somethin' crazy when he's not around?"

She had to admit, the thought did cross her mind. But knowing him, he'd find out and give her that look that she hated. "Yeah, but it's not the same. I want to do something because I want to do it, not just to piss him off." She said.

"I'm sure it's not that bad. He's just watchin' out for ya." Jeff said, lifting his head to take a quick glance at her.

She brought her brows together in frustration. "So, what's freedom like?" she asked.

"I don't know, I never really been free before." It was true. He was always living in Matt's shadow. Matt gave up everything when after their mom died and their dad got sick. And even though Matt had never quilted him into anything, Jeff always felt like he had to do everything to make his brother proud. "It's weird because you know how you say your father is. Well my brother's like, too. Only he expects me to screw up everythin'. So I gotta try real hard not to. When I do somethin' strange, people don't get mad, though. It's like they expect it all the time." Jeff sighed.

"Is that why you dye your hair all those colors?"

He was a little disappointed by the question. He was hoping that she wouldn't be like everyone else, that she didn't expect him to be something other than Jeff. "No. I do it because I like it." He explained slightly shaking his head.

"I like it too. But I could never do anything like that." She looked around the pool again and sighed as the still water flickered from the light behind Jeff. "So does your girlfriend get mad because you travel so much?" She blurted out, before she could stop.

He looked at her sharply, not quite knowing how to answer that question. "Well, when I was at TNA, she didn't. I didn't travel as much, so I got to spend a lot of time with her. But when I signed back with WWE, I got my schedule… she decided we should see other people. It was for the best I guess. We kept arugin' all the time anyways."

She nodded as if she understood. At least he _had_ a girlfriend to break up with him.

"What about you? You're boyfriend back home or out here?" He asked, hoping that she would say she didn't have one.

She let out a thunderous laugh. "Please, _me_ have a boyfriend? You do know who my dad is, right? I might as well be wearing a sign: Chase Batista, stay away." She stopped smiling. "I've only had a few boyfriends before. I remember my senior year; I liked this boy so much. Well he took me to my prom. My dad said something to him while I was getting dressed and the next thing I knew he was treating me like I was a leper. He wouldn't even dance with me. Please, I can't have a boyfriend. My dad scares any guy who tries to approach me."

Jeff smiled. So he wasn't the only guy that Dave scared the shit out of. "He _is _a pretty big guy." Jeff said weakly.

"He's a teddy bear! If they knew how much of a push over he was, I'd have a date every night!" She had always found it amusing that people were afraid of Dave. He was the gentlest man she had ever met.

She found it was easy to talk to Jeff, even if their conversation roamed from one topic to the next. If she asked him a question, he answered it. He didn't talk down to her, or avoid her; she liked that.

Jeff was smitten. She hadn't thought he was weird or creepy like most girls do. She hadn't told him of all the things he should be doing like the rest of them did. But to her credit, he didn't tell her all the things about him that she should know.

He sat across from her and smiled shyly. Chase looked past him and saw a large figure coming toward them. For a split second her heart stopped. All she needed was for Dave to come down and embarrass her in front of Jeff.

"Rainbow." Hunter said his voice deep.

"Hunt." Jeff responded without looking up. Hunter bent down next to Jeff and talked softly so Chase couldn't hear him. "What are you doing Rainbow? You know who she is right. I don't think her father would be too happy with you hitting on his little girl, now would he?"

"We were just talkin'." Jeff shrugged. He knew it was pointless. He was never going to be good enough for anyone, let alone the daughter of Dave Batista. Jeff pursed his lips together and shook his head.

Hunter slowly turned toward Chase. "Don't you think you need to be getting back up to your room? I bet your dad's worried about you." He narrowed his eyes to meet her gaze.

"My dad's preoccupied at the moment. I'll go up later." She said dismissing Hunter.

Hunter smiled wickedly at Jeff and walked away. Jeff couldn't help but to laugh. "I ain't never seen nobody stand up to him before. That was great!"

She laughed too, "He gets on my nerves. But he's right. I should go to bed." She stood up and extended her hand. "It was nice to meet you Jeff. I hope I'll see you around." That was about all she could hope for. Jeff wouldn't be interested in her. After all she _was_ Dave Batista's daughter.

"You wanna get breakfast tomorrow?" He asked without letting go of her hand?

She was speechless. He actually asked her out! She couldn't hide her rosy cheeks. "Sure. I'll meet you in the lobby at 10."

He nodded and let her go. "Goodnight." He whispered as he watched her walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Britain struggled to remove Dave's large arm from around her waist, which was an exercise in futility. He was sleeping soundly; spooning against her, his arm was wrapped around her tightly, ensuring that she wouldn't get away. She pushed his arm and tried to lift it off. When that didn't work, she tried to slide down and it lift up. There was no escaping it, she was stuck.

"You're not going anywhere, so you might as well lay back down and go back to sleep." He said his voice deep and groggy.

"I gotta pee." She whined, still trying to move him off.

"No you don't. You're just trying to get dressed." He informed her pulling her closer.

"Davey, I gotta pee, really. If you don't let me go, you're going to be in a very wet bed."

Reluctantly, he let her go. Golden showers were not something that he thought were particularly sexy. If she really had to go that bad, it would be best for everyone involved, if he let her get up.

"Sucker!" She laughed and got out of the bed.

"I don't understand why you don't like to just lay with me." He turned over to his stomach and closed his eyes.

She leaned down to his face and whispered in his ear. "I'm not really that comfortable with lying around with you, naked, while your daughter's in the next room." She kissed his cheek and walked over to retrieve her tank top.

"Don't do that… don't get dressed." He whined, rolling over to look at her. She poked out her tongue and leaned down to retrieve her panties. He watched as she very slowly and seductively put them on, one leg at a time. "I'm warning you. If you do that…I'm going to have to come over there and take them off again." He sighed heavily and pulled the covers off so that he could sit up.

With a face that said I dare you, she looked him dead in the eye and pulled them further up her legs, past her knees, past her thighs and settled the thin straps across her waist. Smiling, she looked at him. "Now what?"

He put his head down and laughed. "Take those off." He warned in a deep voice, swinging one of his legs over the side of the bed.

She started to bounce on her toes, and rubbed her nose with the side of her thumb. Her other hand was in a fist making jabbing motions in the air. "You ain't so tough. I could take you." She said as she demonstrated her shadow boxing technique.

He put both feet on the floor and stood up to his full height. He rolled his shoulders back and cocked his head from side to side. With a raised eye brow, he looked down at her. "Is that a challenge? Am I supposed to be scared or something?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean? You don't think I could do it, do you? I've been watching Ultimate Fighting. I could kick your ass…if I wanted."

He could tell by her tone of voice, that she was serious. She really thought she could take him. He tried to hold in his laugh at the prospect of her beating him up. He could not however stop the huge grin that had spread across his face. He licked his lips to try to keep back the laughter which only ended with him biting his tongue. "I'm a lover, not a fighter." He smiled holding up his hands as he watched her bounce around the room like Muhammad Ali.

Britain rolled her eyes at Dave. "Well, I'm breaking hearts and faces." She jabbed the air to show her just how much of a bad ass she really was.

He couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a laugh that made him bend over and put his hand on his stomach. "You really think you could beat me?" He asked through his laughter. He looked at her eyes; they were intensely blue. _She's pissed! She's actually pissed._ "Babe, I didn't mean that you couldn't beat me. I'm sure, somewhere, somehow, in some alternate reality, if we were in a fight of sorts, you could in actually, possibly kick my ass … maybe."

"You know what? You're not the only bad ass in this room. I can hold my own, I can fight." She hated that smug grin he was giving her. So what she couldn't move him if she wanted to, the least he could do was pretend that she was strong.

"You care to place a wager on that?" He asked still smiling like the Cheshire cat. "What are the stakes?" He heard her ask through his whimper of laughter. He played out all the things he could make her do, but that was too easy. He had to go for something that she _really_ didn't want to do. What is it? Let's see… "If I win, you have to go to the gym with me…and my '_stupid' _friends." That was a fate worse than death. Not only would she have to work out, which she hated, she would have to endure his idiot friends, all full of testosterone while she did it.

She nodded her head in acceptance. "And _when _I win…" She paused, "You have to paint my toe nails, go shopping with me, and hold my purse… all while wearing jeans." She insisted rolling her neck to stress the point.

She never really understood, what his adverse relationship with jeans was all about. All she knew was he never wore them. To her knowledge, he even didn't own any. He always wore sweats, dress paints or Dockers. But she secretly wanted to see him in jeans; to see the way the denim hugged his cute backside, to see those muscular thighs… the thought made her blush.

"Hey! I only asked for one thing. Why is it that you get so much if you win?" He wrinkled his brow. Surely he could have made it harder, but he was trying to be nice. After all, she stood no chance in hell of beating him in the first place.

"Do we have an accord?" She asked arching her eyebrow at the challenge.

He tossed his head back and laughed. "Yes…where are you going?" He asked as she walked passed him and grabbed the handle on the door.

"I'm going to get my nail polish. I need to make sure I pick the right color."

"Nuh-uh. Let's do this." He bent slightly at the waist as if he were ready to square off.

"Um, don't you want to put some underwear on or something? I mean… you could get hurt." She said motioning to his nude lower half.

He shook his head. What was the point of covering up? She wasn't going to win anyway. He watched in amusement as she strolled back across the room and matched his stance. The two of them circled each other, reaching a hand out to get contact with the other. With every attempted jab, he slapped her hand away; his devious grin, angering her more. Finally, she put her hands out, fingers up and motioned for him to do the same. This was going to be a battle of wit as well as strength. He stood up and looked at her as if he didn't believe it. _She actually wants to see who is stronger. Be gentle with her, she's a 120 pound woman. You could snap her wrists without thinking about it. _

Dave intertwined his fingers with hers. He applied a little pressure and bent her wrists back, which were easily followed by her arms. He continued to push down and back until his chest was up against hers and her arms were behind her.

Without any warning, she got on her tip-toes and kissed him. It was one of those kisses that made him lose his breath and made every muscle in his body come to life. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her. She walked him slowly toward the bed, backward. As he pulled her down on top of him, she patted the bed three times. "I believe, I won." She whispered in his ear.

He laid there, dumbfounded as she stood up holding her arms up in the air and bounced around the room. All he could do was laugh. How could I have fallen for that? That was the oldest trick in the book: distract your partner with the lure of sex. "You cheated. That's not how you fight." He pouted.

"_You, _never instituted the rules of the match. I won; it was a no disqualification match. I used any means necessary."

He stood up and in one fluid motion, swept her up off her feet. Gently, he laid her back on the bed and hovered over her. "I won." He whispered right before claiming a kiss.

"How so?" she asked trying to catch her breath.

"Because, these…," he tugged on her panties, "are coming off."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase entered the lobby at 9:45. She was so nervous. She had been around wrestlers since she could remember, but never once was she nervous about seeing one. It had taken her 20 minutes to get dressed, and all she could come up with was a pair of holey blue jeans and a black Velvet Revolver tank-top. She thought about wearing sandals, tennis shoes, and heals, but opted for black flip-flops instead. She really spent a long time on that "I wasn't trying to impress you" look; which she thought she failed miserably at.

She had started to ask Britain for advice, but that was a bad idea. For one, Britain might have told her dad. Although they were friends, she still didn't know how much she could trust her. The other reason was simple. When she approached the door, she distinctly heard laughter, followed by mumbling, accompanied by a moan or two. _God! How many times do they have sex in one day?_ It was better to leave well enough alone, so she returned to her room and found something to wear.

She sat nervously in the lobby and looked at her watch again. She heard a familiar voice coming from the elevator and turned around to see who it was. Her heart almost stopped at the sight.

"So, I'm sayin'… I'll give you a call when we get to the next city." A bare chest John Cena said in the ear of a woman that looked like she could have been a stripper.

"Don't say it, if you don't mean it." The stripper woman replied, pouting at him.

"I will. I don't do this on the regular. But you… you're special. I'll call you, maybe you can come out and hang with me a lil' bit." His words dripped off his lips.

She watched him escort the stripper to the door and place a kiss on the back of her hand. The stripper blushed and headed out into the bright sunshine of LA in the morning. As he turned to walk back in the hotel, she saw a huge smile come across his lips followed by slight laughter. Chase wanted to disappear. She had held a torch for him so long, and finally she saw him for what he was; a man-whore.

He must have done this in every city, pick up some loose girl and bring them back to his hotel. He would have his way with them and send them off with the promises that they were special and that he wanted to be with them. Maybe her dad was right; maybe men _were_ only out for one thing.

Chase could hardly finish the thought before John spotted her and approached. "What's up blondie?" He asked tugging on her hair.

She moved her head and straightened her hair out with her hand. "New friend?" She noticed how his lips curved upward when he smiled. He had the nerve to smile about treating that woman like trash right in front of her.

"Who her? Nah. I just met her. I don't even know her name. But you know, that's how playas role." She couldn't believe that he would be sitting there laughing about it, in front of her.

"I'm sure she didn't feel like that." She said looking toward the elevators for Jeff. She didn't want Jeff to see her with John, or John to know that she was going out with Jeff, or for John to know how bad he was pissing her off.

"She knew the deal from jump. You be surprised how many women, throw themselves at us. It comes with the contract. We all do it, even the Divas." He said patting her leg. Just the thought of his hand on her right now made her nostrils flair.

"Not all of you. My dad doesn't." She said no longer caring if the anger in her voice showed.

"Not now, but he did. Come on blondie, we both know you ain't as naïve as your Pops thinks you are. Before he met her," he motioned toward the ceiling indicating they were upstairs, "your Pops got more ass than all of us put together. Even when she ain't here, the offer still stands. Just saying the words WWE, makes the panties come off." She couldn't believe how smug he was. What was she thinking, having a crush on him? "Don't hate a playa; hate the game." He said before kissing her on the head and walking toward the elevator.

She sat on the couch, face red, arms crossed, cursing under her breath. Anyone who looked at her could tell she was NOT in a good mood.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff pushed the button on the elevator, hoping that he would make it downstairs before Chase did. He had been successful in avoiding Matt and Ashley's interrogations all night. Apparently, the pair of them had spotted him and Chase talking at the pool.

"_So Jeff, who's your new friend?" Ashley asked with smile._

_Matt shook his head in disbelief. "Didn't I tell you, Jeffro? That one's not for you. She too young man, besides, her dad is gonna kick your ass. Leave her alone."_

He couldn't pay attention to Matt; he had no idea what he was talking about. Matt never knew what he was talking about, if he did, he would have known that Amy was cheating on him and he would have never hooked up with Ashley. She was annoying as hell! Why would he take advice from a man whose girlfriend called him V1? V1? What the hell does that mean anyway?

As he entered the lobby, he saw her. She looked beautiful. Even though she was wearing beat up blue jeans and a tank top, he felt like he should have taken more time to get ready. He didn't think about his clothes when he put on the blue bandana, white beater, Kaki shorts and purple Vans.

He decided that his attire would have to do, or else he would late. He walked slowly over to her, paying particular attention to her face. _So, that's what it looks like when an angel gets mad._ He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips as he went to say hello. "You ok?" he asked cautiously. She glared at him and nodded. Without a word, she stood up and headed toward the door.

"You know where you wanna go? We could eat here at the hotel if you want." He said fidgeting with the leather wristband he wore. He had no idea what she was upset about; he just hoped it had nothing to do with him.

"No. I don't want to run into any of my dad's asshole friends. Anywhere else but here is fine." She said suddenly aware that Jeff was avoiding looking at her.

Jeff shrugged and walked with her out to his rental. He had rehearsed it over and over again, how a gentleman is supposed to treat a lady. He remembered to hold the door open for her, but he had forgotten to close it. It wasn't until he rounded his side of the car, that he saw her reach over and close the door shut. '_Shit! You idiot!' _he yelled at himself, before opening the door and getting in.

As he started the ignition, the radio blast made Chase jump. He closed his eyes and prayed to just be swallowed up by the seat. "Sorry." He said as he adjusted the volume.

"That's Pearl Jam. I love them." She said and started to sing along.

_She's perfect. She even likes good music!_

Chase had suggested that they go to a restaurant close to her school. It was the same place that she practically lived in last semester. He didn't mind the drive, he was actually enjoying listening to her sing; she had a pretty good voice.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain picked up the note taped to the TV. _Daddy, Gone to breakfast, I'll be back soon. My cell is on, if you need me. Chase. "_So much for asking her if she wanted to have a girl's day out," she sighed. She turned back toward the bedroom when she heard Dave singing loudly in the bathroom.

_I wish he could take a shower quietly_. But no, she was now enjoying the sounds of 80s hair bands; off key to boot. She walked to the bathroom door and stuck her head in. Whatever he was singing he was really giving his best performance. Trying not laugh, she listened closely… "You say I'm never gonna break ya. But we won't know until we try…" She watched him grab the bottle of shampoo and hold it to his mouth like a microphone.

_I know that song, _she thought as she listened closer. "So now's the time to make up your mind…" He sang louder getting more and more off key. This time, he coupled his rock star performance with delicate side sways in the shower, completely oblivious to the fact that he had a live audience,

"The Bullet Boys? Babe, you're really dating yourself." She said walking in the bathroom and hopping up on the sink.

Slightly embarrassed, he smiled. "What? That was good music. They don't make it like that anymore." He turned off the shower and stepped out. He couldn't help but to laugh as he grabbed his towel.

It was something about the innocent way she sat there and talked to him that he liked about her. For the first time in a long time, he actually had a "relationship", someone that he could just kick it with. It had taken a little time to get use to, but for the first time since his second divorce, he'd actually found someone that he would consider more than a lover, he considered her his friend.

"You don't have to tell me. That was the best concert I ever went to." _Am I really that old? _It seemed like only yesterday she was making signs to hold up at rock concerts. Hanging out with her friends at the Capital Center, and her Ma waiting in the parent's quiet room, while they drooled over the guys on stage.

"You had to be like 2 back then," he said mocking her about her age.

"Dude, I was almost 13. The Bullet Boys opened for Winger and Cinderella. That show was awesome." She laughed remembering how stupid she must have looked, trying to act like mature women back then.

"When you were 12, I was 23. You know, I could've gone to jail for you back then," he said suddenly becoming aware of how big their age difference was.

"Maybe. But I was very mature for my age. You know, I got to meet them that night. One of my friends actually hooked up with the guitarist from the Bullet Boys a few years later."

"So you were a groupie at 12? What the hell did you possibly have to talk to those guys about?" He wrapped the towel around his waist, extremely interested in what she had to say.

"The usual, their music, braces, 7th grade, that kind of stuff."

He laughed deeply. He could imagine her being 12. Sitting on a tour bus with a bunch of horny guys, trying desperately hard to be a grown up.

"It wasn't until I was 14, that I kissed my first rock star, though," she smiled walking out of the bathroom. He furrowed his brow and started after her. "Who the hell were you kissing at 14?"

"Oh, no one in particular. Let's just say I met a lot of people at Hammerjacks." He smiled. "Hammerjacks, now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. How the hell were you able to get in there?" Being from DC he was really well acquainted with the clubs in Baltimore. He had been there before and gotten into some really interesting things there too. He just hoped that she hadn't.

"I had a friend who was a bouncer. I never got carded, mostly everyone knew me." She laughed.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "So, you've been a groupie for a long time, huh?" He turned her around and kissed her softly. "Why don't you show me what you learned?"

She laughed, wiggling out of his arms. "I have never been a groupie. I was more like a personal fan. Besides, I think you're a little too old to show you some of the things I've learned. Don't want to dislocate your hip or anything." She teased patting his backside.

His face grew concerned, "Remind me to keep you away from my girls. I swear if one of them ever so much as thinks about…" He suddenly thought about one of his girls, being all over some sleazy rock star types; the type of guys that have women at their beck and call, the types of guys that walked out into a crowd and picked the one they wanted to take back to their room, the types of guys that he was friends with. Her deep laughter quickly drew him out of his dark fantasy.

"Believe me, they think about it. Babe, Maddy's 16. You don't see it when she looks at Randy? She's thought about it. I'd say, she's got a crush." She walked passed him and patted his chest.

He sat on the bed, his mind racing. _Maddy? Not my Maddy. She's so innocent, no, she hasn't…But…I'm going to kill Randy._

"Dude, relax. She's a good girl. All I'm saying is, your girls are turning into women. Trust me, I was doing a lot worse at 16." When he got like this, obsessive, she wanted to knock him out. They always laughed about the wild times they had as kids. But when it came to his girls, he mistakenly thought they were angels. She tried to explain to him on many occasions, that they were growing up and he had to respect that. But, he had made it his mission to shelter his girls and he was going to do it even if that meant beating the shit out of every guy that came in contact with them. His relationship with his daughters was one sided. To him they were angels and they made sure not to tarnish that image of them. All three of them knew that he loved them unconditionally, but they knew how he could get. It would take nothing for him to embarrass the hell out them when it came to their protection.

She watched as he riffled through his bag and pulled out his cell phone. Trying to stifle her laugh, she made an angry face at him as she watched him dial the number and sit impatiently waiting for the phone to ring.

"Hey Peanut…How's it going? Good…Yeah, I'm in California…yeah, in two weeks…we'll see honey. Hey Alli, is Maddy there?"

Britain shook her head. She knew what he was about to do. That poor child was going to be interrogated. She quickly ran up to him and tried to take the phone from his hand. He held her off with one hand and moved around with the other so she couldn't grab it. Frustrated, she backed up and stood in front of him waving her hands frantically to stop the impending inquisition.

"Hey Pumpkin, it's Daddy. Good, you…You being a good girl? Nothin', just wondering…I know. It's just…yeah, but you're just growing up so fast and I'm not there all the time…no Pumpkin, I feel fine…I know. I miss you too…yeah in two weeks. She came in yesterday…tomorrow I think. She's fine, she's here too… I don't know, I can ask her but she may have to work. I don't know, mom might not like that…When I come, you think you might want to get dinner with your old man? Ok, it's a date...Randy? Why would he come? What's with…ok, Pumpkin…I'll tell her...see you soon… love you, too. Bye." He dropped the phone and put his head in his hands. "My baby's growing up."

Britain smiled sincerely at him as she put her arms around him. "I'm very proud of you. You should be very proud too. You have wonderful kids that love you very much. Now let's just hope they have enough sense not to turn out like you." She laughed kissing his cheek.

"What about Chase? You think she's still a good girl?" His face made her heart break. He couldn't actually think that he could keep this woman bottled up in a little girl's life forever.

Britain had always known that he was over protective, but this was ridiculous. "Chase is a grown woman…" she placed her finger on his lips to stop him from talking, "a grown woman. Any choices she makes are her own. You have to support her, no matter what."

"Maybe, you could just talk to her. Find out if she's… you know." He pleaded with her eyes.

She shook her head and laughed. There was no way in hell she was going to approach his daughter and ask her about her sexual status. No matter how much she loved him, that was never going to happen.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase and Jeff sat in the crowded restaurant in the booth in the back. "You seem nervous." Chase said never lifting her head from the breakfast menu.

Jeff had been pulling the plastic covering off of his menu since they were seated. "Or maybe, I'm always like this." He smiled. "You know, most people think I'm pretty weird."

Chase shrugged and went back to menu. She knew the menu by heart, but she couldn't look at him. "You seem pretty normal to me."

That was a response he hadn't been expecting. This girl _was _different. She hadn't once tried to stop him from ripping up the menu; she didn't say anything smart when he asked the waitress for the kid's placemat and a pack of crayons. He wasn't trying to piss her off, but he thought if he were himself, it would probably happen anyway. But, she hadn't gotten pissed off. In fact, she seemed to be having a better time than she was in the hotel. "So? You gonna tell me why you were lookin' so mad earlier." Jeff asked as the waitress walked away. He picked up a crayon and started to do the word search on the kids menu.

"John Cena." She replied. Jeff didn't look up, but nodded his head. "Oh, there's pancake." Chase picked up another crayon and circled the word.

Jeff's mouth went dry. Was she actually helping him do a child's word search? This was too good to be true.

"Do you sleep around on the road?" She asked nonchalantly. She couldn't believe she just asked him that. She'd never been a particularly subtle person before, but that was just down right rude. She really didn't know him from Adam, and had no right to ask him about his sex life.

Jeff let a huge smile creep across his face. "Um…what?"

"John says, that all you guys screw around when you're on the road." She said folding her arms across her chest. "I know you guys travel a lot and girls are probably throwing their underwear at you in every city. But, I mean… you don't have to indulge, do you?"

Jeff sat there slack jawed. She was livid! Her eyes narrowed as she spoke, her ears turned a pale shade of red. '_God, she's cute when she's mad.'_

"I think my dad's a good man. I don't think he would cheat on Britain or anything. But John said that he gets women throwing themselves at him too…" She was doing it again; rambling. She always did that when she was angry or nervous.

"I don't know." Jeff responded slowly. "There are lots of women more than willin' to warm your bed. Some of them are willin' to do _anythin'_. I could tell you about some of the fan mail me and Matt get. But, I think it depends on the person. Some guys like the fact that can get with all these different women. But, if it comes that easy, I don't want it."

"Did you always feel like that?" She asked looking him in the eye. She needed to tell if he were lying.

"No. I started in this business when I was 16. To a 16 year old boy, getting laid by a different woman every night was the best thing on earth. But it gets old after awhile. You start to realize, they don't care 'bout you; just that they just wanna get with someone in the WWE. Sometimes, you just want someone to talk to, ya know? But then I realized they didn't wanna talk to me. Or if they did, they wanted me to tell them 'bout Matt, or Jericho or someone like that. Just sorta realized that I needed more." It was the truth. He tried to keep his loneliness out of his voice, but it was evident by Chase's face that he wasn't successful.

"Did my dad sleep around a lot?" She asked seriously. She felt a slight bit of anger when he shrugged his shoulders. _You know damn well, he did. You just don't want to tell me._

"You know what it's like. Bein' alone…just needin' someone to comfort you." He said drawing cartoons on the other side of the menu.

She laughed. "I told you. I've only had a few boyfriends. I have no idea what it's like. God, my dad is going to have a fit when he finds out I went to breakfast with you. Can you imagine what he would do if I ever had sex?" She was doing it _again_! Not only did she ask him about his and her father's sex lives, but she just admitted to him that she was virgin! If she could have fit under the table, she would have dove under it. She was more than happy when the waitress brought their breakfast to the table. But she thought she noticed a smile on Jeff's face at her admission.

Jeff carefully stacked his pancakes, making them into a perfect pillar. He carefully poured syrup on the center and let it drizzle down the sides, so that each side had a drizzle that was no more than 4 inches a part from each other. He picked up the bowl of strawberries and sliced one in 6 slithers. He carefully placed the slivers around his pancakes. Finally, he grabbed the whipped cream and drizzled it on the sides, creating perfect flower buds.

Chase watched in amazement as Jeff worked over his food. By the time he was finished, the pancakes were a masterpiece, they looked more like a wedding cake than pancakes. "Do you always do that?" She asked motioning toward his plate.

"Since I was a kid. I like to see what kinds of designs I can come with." He braced himself for her to say she was ready to go. He had embarrassed her in public, he was sure of it.

To his surprise, Chase pushed her plate of French toast toward him. "What can you do with mine?" She asked, flashing her dimples.

Jeff's heart fluttered as he picked up her plate and began to arrange her food into a culinary masterpiece. By the time he was finished, she had stacks on both sides, with a whipped cream and strawberry flowers spelling out her name.

Chase couldn't stop herself from laughing. "I'm almost afraid to eat it; it's so pretty." She regarded him as he shrugged, noticing how muscular his shoulders were. "I hope it tastes as good as it looks."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dave knocked on Chase's door and when she didn't answer he cracked it open. "Chase, you ready for breakfast?" When there was no answer he walked in the room. The bed was made, but there was at least six outfits carelessly thrown across the room. "Babe? Do you know where Chase is?" He called out picking up her clothing and placing it on the bed.

"I forgot to tell you. She left a note, she went to breakfast." Britain answered rinsing the toothpaste out of her mouth. "She said to call her if you need something."

He walked into the bathroom and leaned up against the sink. "Why didn't she wait for us?"

"Maybe it was because _you_ decided to have dessert before breakfast. Or could it be that it took _you _thirty minutes to put on two coats of nail polish? My toes look great by the way." She said kissing him on the chin and walking out of the bathroom.

Dave pulled out his cell phone. He had to admit, he was a little disappointed that she would go to breakfast without seeing if they wanted to go too. He scrolled through his phone and found her number.

"Hello?" she said quietly. "Hey, Princess. Why didn't you wait for us?" He asked trying to hear her through the sounds of clattering dishes in the background. His cheeks got warm when she said that she could tell that he and Britain were busy, so she went without them.

"I thought I'd get to spend some time with you before you leave tomorrow. What do you have planned for the day?" He asked hoping that she could make some time for him. He sighed when she said that she had planned on doing some shopping for her apartment, and that he could tag along if he wanted.

"How about you just use my credit card instead. That way it will just feel like I'm there. You think that you can give me some time and maybe we can have dinner together? Just us?" It was harder than he thought to ask his daughter if she wanted to take some time and just catch up. But was relieved when she said yes. "Eight o'clock? See you then. I love you." And his heart melted when she said she loved him too.

He walked back in the room and sat on the bed. "Chase doesn't want to hang out with me. She's going shopping. Maybe you should go with her, you know, keep her company." His face broken into a frown making him look like a 315 pound baby.

"She's probably going out with one of her roommates. She has friends here, remember. If she were lonely, she would have asked one of us to go with her." She pulled her skirt down past her hips. "Besides, you are shopping with me. We gotta get you some jeans."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase closed her phone and looked at Jeff. "I'm surprised he didn't ask me more questions." She said casually, biting into a strawberry.

"Can I ask you a question?" Jeff put down his fork. "How old _are _you?" He'd heard her tell John that she was turning twenty and that he shouldn't be asking a woman her age. But, Dave seemed _really_ protective of her and she _was_ a virgin…

"I'm nineteen, but my birthday's August 9th." She answered trying not to sound too excited. Birthdays had always been her favorite thing. Her family always went out for birthdays. Last year, she'd gotten a car, this year she was hoping for a trip to Europe. Oh, she couldn't wait until August 9th.

"Mine's August 31." Jeff smiled.

"So, how old are you?" She asked quickly. Judging from his look, she would guess that he was about 24, 25; but looks can be deceiving.

"I'll be 30. I can't believe it. 30! When the hell did I get that old?" He laughed. He noticed the hint of shock on her face. "I know. Don't act it do I?"

"No; you don't look it. Besides, 30's not old." She had to admit, the thought did cross her mind. Her dad was 11 years older than Britain, who was only 8 years older than her. Jeff was 10 years older than her and only 10 years younger than her dad; man, that was confusing.

"Why'd you ask me how old I was?" She leaned over the table to take another strawberry off of Jeff's plate. She frowned when he shook his head. She knew he had a reason, but getting it out of him was another story.

"It's just, um… you said, you know, you'd never…I mean being 20 and all. It's just kinda different." If he hadn't done enough this morning to make sure this girl never wanted to talk to him again, this last comment would have certainly sealed the deal.

"I'm the last of dying breed. You know that movie, 40 Year Old Virgin? That'll be me in a few years." She looked at Jeff who bit his lip. "I've never really gotten close enough with any boy to even want to. Besides, my head's always in the books. I don't have time to even date."

Jeff could tell she was getting uncomfortable with the conversation, so he changed topics. "So what ya takin' at school?" Her face lit up when he asked.

"I took some pretty easy stuff this semester. The only thing I'm worried about is Intro to Drawing. I can't draw, like you. You really couldn't tell what my stick figures are supposed to be." She laughed pointing at his cartoon.

"Drawin's easy. You just gotta imagine the lines and let your hand and mind work together; forget about using your eyes. You gotta feel what you're drawin'." She shook her head. "I can help you out if with that, if you want." He wasn't sure if he was being too forward; for that implied that he would be seeing her again.

"So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" She asked placing her napkin on her empty plate. He frowned and shook his head. "Well since you invited me to breakfast, how would you like to go shopping with me for stuff for my new place? I could really use the help. Especially from someone with an artistic eye, like you."

He was flattered. She actually wanted to spend _more_ time with him. Oh, you muses were in full effect today. "Well it beats the hell out of what I was gonna do, which was nothin'. I'd love to."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Chase sat on her bed clinging to Scraps, sobbing desperately. It had been such a good day. That was until about 45 minutes ago.

She and Jeff had a great time shopping; they had even stopped by the arcade before heading back to hotel. He was so easy to talk to. He had told her about his drug addiction that how doing things sober, was like doing them again for the first time. She shared with him that she was afraid to live on her own but that she was glad that Britain's folks were going to look in on her. She had even had a great dinner with Dave. They didn't talk about anything in particular; mainly about how proud he was of her, her sisters and about Britain.

Chase and Jeff had met up again a little after 11 pm to go swimming. It was just one of those "crazy" things she wanted to do; swimming alone after dark. They had a great time, and even made plans to go to the beach the next day before she went home.

It wasn't until they were in the elevator together on their way back to their rooms, did Hunter and John get on. Hunter took one look at their attire, a clingy wet t-shirt and shorts on her and wet shorts on him, and put two and two together. Hunter practically dragged her out of the elevator and marched her straight to her father's suite. Jeff tried to follow, but John very kindly told him that wasn't such a good idea.

Jeff would have to talk to her tomorrow, that is if Dave didn't kill him tonight.

She could still see the look on Dave's face when Hunter told him what was going on. He and Britain had been on the couch watching Running Scared, when Chase, Hunter and John burst into the room.

Immediately Dave stood up and looked over his daughter. "What happened". He just knew that she had fallen into the pool, or was attacked or something horrible like that.

"I think Chase needs to be more careful of the company she keeps." Hunter said to Dave in a low deep voice.

Dave looked at her and she immediately looked at the floor. "I didn't do anything Daddy, I was just swimming."

"You know, your daughter's been hanging out with Jeff Hardy lately. It seems the two of them have quite the little friendship growing." Dave looked at her and then back at Hunter. "I saw them before, hanging around the pool at about 2 a.m. Then this morning, they left out together. And John and I found them in the elevator soaking wet, just now. " Hunter said almost smiling at ratting the girl out. "I guess they were out for another midnight swim."

"Go to your room, Chase." Dave said sternly.

She paused as the tears started to sting her eyes. "Daddy…"

"NOW!" he yelled pointing to her door and the young girl ran inside. He turned back to Hunter and John. "Did you actually see them together, or were you just assuming she was _with_ him?"

John shrugged his shoulders. "They just got on the elevator together, and they was laughin'. He had his arm around her waist helpin' her in the door. That's all I saw man."

"You know maybe if you were spending more time with your kid instead of being cooped up in your room with _her _all day, I wouldn't have to keep an eye on her for you." Hunter said pointing to Britain.

Dave walked away and into Chase's room. "You lied to me." He said standing in her doorway. He looked at his daughter, her chin twitching, her dimples strong, and her intensely blue eyes where now red and puffy.

"I did not. You asked me who I was hanging with. I told you a friend. Jeff's my friend Daddy, that's all he is." She yelled. He had no right to yell at her in front of Hunter, John or Britain for that matter. She hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, she was an adult; she could go out and have a good time if she wanted to.

"You don't need those kinds of friends." He said softening his voice. "Jeff's a grown man. He's too old for you to be hanging out with. Besides, he's one of us, a 'rough neck'. A nice young woman like you has no business being around a guy like that."

"A guy like what? Daddy, you do the same thing he does. Does that mean that Britain shouldn't be around you? What makes me so special?" Why did he always have to be such a hypocrite? It was ok for him to _be_ with Britain and but she couldn't even go swimming with Jeff?

"All he wants to do is get in your pants. I'm not going to let that happen. You don't know what's like being on the road, honey. I'm trying to save you from a lot of pain and a broken heart." He walked over to her bed and gently touched the side of her face.

"But I didn't _do _anything. All we did was hang out. I swear." This was hopeless. He wasn't going to listen. He had already made up in his mind that she and Jeff were at least kissing each other by now.

"You don't need to hang out with him anymore." He said wiping her tears.

"Daddy…" She was _not_ going to let him treat her like a child anymore.

"You will not see him again. Do I make myself clear?" He said standing up. Without waiting for a response, he walked out of the room and left her on her bed crying.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain stood in the living room completely dumbfounded. Of all the dumb ass things to do, Hunter just had to find somebody else to make miserable.

"You're an asshole you know that? That girl was having a good time. What the hell is your problem?" She said glaring at Hunter. _If I ever needed more of a reason to hate you, you just gave it to me._

"My problem is while he's all hugged up with you, his daughter is doing lord knows what with a man that is entirely too old for her." Hunter shot back. It had been a long day and he wasn't in the mood for any of her shit right now.

"Too old? You're way older than Stephanie and Dave's 11 years older than me. So what's wrong with that? They were just hanging out, Paul. It's not like he was fucking her on the picnic tables or anything!" _Oh, you're such an idiot. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!_

He narrowed his eyes, disgusted by the sight of her. "This ain't about my wife. And if your dad ain't got a problem with you fucking a man that's old enough to be your father, that's his problem. Besides, you had plenty of practice being flat on your back before you ever met Dave."

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" She asked walking up to him.

"It means, you had your legs open long before you two got together. I'm trying to make sure that his daughter doesn't turn out like you." He said rolling his shoulders back at her.

"Yo. Hunt man, that's enough." John said stepping in between Hunter and Britain. He put his hand against Hunter's chest to keep him from advancing toward her. "What's your problem man? You don't talk to no female like that."

"That bitch is my problem. I don't fucking like her." He said narrowing his eyes at Britain more.

"I'm not here for _you_ to like, pendejo. Are you that fucking miserable that you have to make everybody else's life shit too? No wonder your wife doesn't want to spend any fucking time with you." She snapped trying to move John aside. She wasn't afraid of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Paul Michael Levesque or whatever the hell he was calling himself these days, and she didn't need John or Dave or anybody to protect her from him.

"Suck my dick, bitch." He said angrily, just as Dave walked back into the room.

"You couldn't handle it, sweetheart!" She yelled back.

Dave pinned Hunter against the wall. "Don't you EVER talk to her like that, again! You understand me?" Hunter threw up his hands signaling he was done. After glaring at him a moment longer, Dave let him go.

"¡Sé que no estás hablando con mí como eso!" '_I know you're not talking to me like that!' _Britain yelled, her eyes now blue with anger. She only spoke in Spanish when she was talking to her family or really angry. And since her mom and brother weren't there, Dave knew she was about to explode.

"Hey, I was just trying to help you out." Hunter said walking out the door, turning back to give a wicked grin at Britain.

"¿Aspirar a tu dick¡Si tenías uno!" _'Suck your dick? I would if you had one!' _She said again walking toward the door.

John grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. "Come on De la Hoya. He's gone." She looked at John and rolled her eyes. "Don't let him get to you. That's what he wants. He wants to piss you off."

"¡No me conoces¡Batiré tu asno!" _'You don't know me! I'll kick your ass!'_ She ranted throwing her hands up in the air; her face getting red and her eyes swelling with tears. "Pinche pendjo." '_Fucking asshole.'_

John looked over at Dave for help. Britain was on a tirade, in Spanish no less. Dave walked over to her and wrapped her up in his arms. "It's ok. He's gone, now." He tried to sooth her, but she was fired up.

She continued to rattle things off in Spanish at record speed. It was so much that it was making his head spin. Even Chase came to her door to listen to the curses that a crying Britain made, in a language that she did not understand.

"Babe... Babe, I can't understand you. You have to slow down or speak English or something." Dave held her tight against his chest. He knew her, she wasn't crying because Hunter had hurt her feelings, she was crying because she was angry. "Britain, it's ok. It's ok baby." He knew that she wanted nothing more than to demonstrate on Hunter, just how much of Ultimate Fighting she had been watching. But the man outweighed her by 250 lbs easily.

"She gonna be alright?" John asked. Dave nodded. "I'm out then. Holla if you need me."

Dave stood in the living room, listening to his daughter cry from her room and holding his girlfriend crying in his arms. I_t seemed like such a good day_.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff Hardy paced his room, twirling his hair and biting his lip. He had such an amazing day with Chase that he wished it would never end. Damn Hunter for ruining it. John said that he could probably still see her tomorrow. But that would depend on Dave. Jeff didn't want to make waves. He had just gotten back on the roster. Fighting would definitely get him suspended; he didn't need that. He just wanted to talk to her to see if she was ok.

He sat on his bed and grabbed the hotel phone. He didn't have her cell number, but he knew the room number. He did the only thing he could do; he called the hotel operator and asked to be put through to Room 521. He held his breath as the phone rang. He knew it was late, but he had to try. He thought about what he would say if Dave answered. Luckily Britain answered the phone, in a low voice; he guessed Dave was sleeping also.

"Hello?" her voice almost inaudible. "Hi…um, this is Jeff."

"Jeff, it's 2 in the morning."

"Um, I know. I just wanted to know if Chase was ok. I know that she probably got in trouble for being out with me. But I just needed to make sure everythin' was alright." There was no use denying it. That _is _why he called, and it was too early in the morning to think of another reason.

"Hang on." Britain said, and quietly climbed out of the bed. She took extra care to open the door without any noise. She walked into Chase's room and woke her up. "Jeff's on the phone. Your dad is sleeping so make it count."

Chase's heart thumped at the idea that Britain would covered for her. Maybe she could trust her, after all. "Hello?" She said softly.

"Are you alright?" He was relieved just to hear her voice.

"My dad flipped out. And you thought I was joking." She said trying to make light of the situation.

Jeff sat there quietly and listened to her breath. He heard her sniffle, then her try to catch her breath. "Don't cry." He whispered as his heart sank. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and take away her tears. "What's wrong?"

"I want my dad to stop treating me like a child. I want to make my own decisions; I want to be friends with you." She said in whimpering.

"You still wanna go the beach tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Then we'll go." He said throwing caution to the wind.

"But my dad…" She started.

"Fuck your dad. You wanna go to the beach and I wanna take you. That's all I care about…I just want you to be happy." He replied.

She agreed and asked him for his cell phone number so she could call him when she could sneak away. Before they ended the call Jeff whispered to her. "Just don't cry no more. You're breakin' my heart."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He said closing his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Dave Batista sat on his bed listening to his girlfriend yell at him. She had been going on and on for the past 10 minutes about the way he humiliated his daughter in front of his friends. Ultimately tired of listening to her rip him a new one, he got up and went to apologize. He found his daughter packing her bag quietly. She barely looked at him when he spoke to her. "I'm sorry, Princess." Dave walked in the room and stood by her bed. "It's just that you, Maddy and Alli mean the world to me and I want to save you girls from as much pain that I can."

He watched as she rolled back her shoulders and sighed. "I was a teenage boy once. Hell, I was a thirty year old man once. I know how we think." He chuckled, but stopped when he realized that she wasn't finding it amusing. He sat down and reached up to touch her hand, dragging her over and forcing her to look at him. "I'm sorry, Chase. It's just hard for me to accept that you're a grown up and not my sweet little princess anymore. Give me a break, huh? I'm still learning how to be the father of an adult." He thought his heart would break when he looked into her glassy blue eyes.

"I'm still your princess, Daddy. I know how much you love me. But, you gotta let me go sometime. You can't always come to my rescue; you gotta let me make my own mistakes."

He had never known her to stand up for herself like that before and it worried him. She had just met Jeff and she was already defending her actions; she was trying to convince him that she should be allowed to see him. Just how close of a friendship did these two have? The mere thought of it made his pecs flex.

"Still friends?" He asked poking out his bottom lip.

"Still friends." She smiled.

Dave embraced his daughter and rocked her in his arms. "I love you, Princess."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain watched at the door as Dave and Chase made up. She was glad that the two of them were at least speaking to each other again. Breakfast had been really hard. Everyone sat in silence; that is everyone except Randy and John. The two of them argued over who was going to win the Super Bowl this year based off of two pre-season games. They totally missed the fact that neither Dave nor Britain wouldn't look at Hunter, Chase wouldn't look at Dave and poor Ric just sat there trying to nurse his hangover.

"Would you two shut the fuck up?" Ric shot out after the conversation took an ugly turn. "And what's wrong with you? You look like somebody just shot your dog." He said turning to Dave.

Dave shook his head and excused himself from the table.

_It's going to be a few hours until Chase gets on that plane._ Britain thought closing her eyes.

While Dave and Chase were talking, Britain snuck out of the room. She didn't know exactly what room Jeff was in, but she remembered seeing him in the hall that first night she got there. As she walked down the hall, she saw Kristal.

"Hey feeling better?" Kristal asked smiling at her.

"Much." Britain smiled back. "Kristal? Do you know what room Jeff Hardy's staying in?" Kristal pointed to the room directly across from the elevator. She thanked her and knocked on the door.

She could tell right away that Matt was as surprised as Jeff when she walked in the room. The way that Ashley looked at her made her smile. If she had come to seduce Jeff, she definitely wasn't dressed for it. She wore green cargo Capri's, white flip flops and a white t-shirt; not exactly sexy.

Jeff immediately stood up and walked over to her. "Is Chase ok?" He asked quietly so that Matt couldn't hear. Matt and Ashley were too busy looking at each other and asking silent questions about her visit to actually hear him anyway.

Britain nodded. "Can we talk?" She asked him, hoping that this wouldn't backfire on her. Jeff lead Britain through the adjoining door into Matt and Ashley's room and closed the door behind them. "Look Jeff. I know you don't know me. I'm Dave's girlfriend, Britain." She extended her hand and he shook it, "I'm also a friend of Chase's. I have to ask you…how far did you go with Chase last night?"

Jeff looked at her stunned. "I didn't touch her. We just hung out and went swimmin'. God I feel like my fuckin' parents are here, makin' sure I don't screw up."

Britain felt bad for him. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just… Hunter said some stuff last night and well… he's got Dave thinking that your doing all kinds of sick, perverted shit to his daughter. I just needed to know that I was right when I defended you." She had never felt more juvenile dealing with all of this he said, she said bullshit before.

"I like Chase. She's a nice girl. We're just friends. I just met her, for God's sake. I may be a dick, but I'm not that big of a dick." He said pleading with Britain's eyes. "Do you think he'd let me talk to her?"

Britain heard herself laugh. "Hell no! He's an over protective father. And right now, you're public enemy number one." Did this guy think that Dave would just sleep on it and everything would be ok this morning? He _really_ must not know Dave very well.

"Chase is leavin' today, right?" Jeff asked quietly. Britain nodded. "She wanted to go to the beach today. I thought she would have called by now. I guess it's too much to ask if he would let her out of his sight?" He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Leave that to me. He's going to suffocate that girl. I'll keep him busy for a couple hours before y'all have to go to the arena." She said smiling. It's not like she never used sex as a distraction before. "Does she have your number?"

Jeff nodded. "I'll have her call you. And _please,_ don't let Hunter see you." She said before walking out the door.

Jeff walked back into his room smiling. He tried his best to avoid the looks and questions from Matt and Ashley. "She's helpin' me out with a favor." He said digging in his bag for his swim trunks.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain walked back in the room to see Dave heading toward the shower and Chase watching TV in the living room area of the suite. Casually, she sat next to Chase. "Go call Jeff. Have him meet you downstairs. Go to the beach and have fun, but be back here by 1." She said nonchalantly. Chase looked at her confused. Britain motioned her head toward the door.

_Did she talk to Jeff? Oh, God. This can't get any worse. _"But, what about my dad?" Chase whispered.

"I'll take care of him. It pisses me off the way he's acting." Britain said pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "Just go have fun. I'll tell him that Sherry called and you two went to the beach. Just please be back here by one."

Chase didn't know whether to hug Britain or run in her room and change; so she did both. "He's not going to believe you." Chase whispered as Dave exited the bathroom. They watched him go into the room and come back out with his shaving kit.

He looked at them confused and shook his head, before heading back in the bathroom. Both women laughed.

"He's not going to be able to think straight...don't worry about it." She smiled wiggling her eyebrows. Chase stood up and thanked Britain again. "Have fun." Britain said, "I know I'm going to."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff sped out of the hotel parking lot like a bat out of hell. They couldn't stop laughing about the plan that Britain had come up with, so they could spend a few hours together before she had to leave. Neither of them could believe how cool Britain had been about the whole thing. If nothing else, they at least had one ally in their new found friendship.

To their surprise the beach wasn't that crowded and they quickly found a spot under a large umbrella. Chase removed her t-shirt and shorts, revealing her bikini top and boy shorts swim suit. Jeff stared at her in amazement. She had a perfect body. Judging by the size of her chest, he would guess she was a C cup easily. She had a toned flat stomach and muscular thighs. She wasn't really curvy, but she was still sexy nonetheless. _She said she was a cheerleader? Do cheerleaders lift weights now? _He wondered looking at how toned she was. But then again, her father was a weight lifter; he wouldn't be surprised if she lifted too.

He froze when she asked him to put sunscreen on her back. He held the bottle in his hands and stared at her from behind. He was mesmerized; he couldn't move if he wanted to.

She turned around to look at him. "I don't bite." She giggled at him.

_Yeah, but I might want you to._

Her hair gently tickled his arm, instantly giving him goose bumps. He moved her hair over her shoulder and gulped at the prospect of touching her flesh. Her hair felt like silk, he wanted to dig his hands in her hair and run his fingers through it. He resisted the urge to sniff it as he rubbed her shoulders. _Oh God, she has the softest skin._ He felt himself closing his eyes as he touched her. Somehow she was intoxicating him by just the feel of her shoulders. He moved his hands lower, lotioning her back. He heard a small gasp from her. He wondered if she was feeling the same thing or was he freaking her out because he was taking so long. It just felt so good to touch her that he didn't want to rush it.

When he reached the small of her back, he let his hands glide across to her hips. He let them stay there longer than they should have. He couldn't force them to let go; not that he tried to anyway.

When Chase turned her head around at him, her were cheeks red from blushing. This was the first time she had ever been touched like that. Even something as innocent as applying sunscreen seemed so pleasurable. Maybe it was because she wasn't supposed to be with him that excited her; or maybe it was just Jeff.

She looked at Jeff's face. It was so beautiful. His blue and blonde hair whipping around in the wind, his green eyes, his perfect nose, his bottom lip, which was tucked in further than the top one, his strong jaw line; everything about him was beautiful. She was interrupted from her observation when she felt his breath on her cheek.

"Can you do mine?" That simple request started an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was kind of like sticking your hand in an electrical socket. She'd never felt anything like that before. Jeff took off his t-shirt and threw it on the blanket. Chase's hands shook as he handed her back the sunscreen.

He had an awesome body. He was muscular, but not ripped like her dad or John. He had lots of lean muscle. He had the type of body that you actually wouldn't mind touching. He didn't bulge any where, but on his pecs and shoulders. She could tell that he had a small waist, by the way his pants never stayed up. He didn't go for that pants hanging off the waist to be sexy thing like John did, his just didn't stay up because he needed a belt. His back was strong and hard. She could imagine what it would feel like moving when he was doing _other_ things. She let her eyes fall to his cute backside. _What's wrong with me? It's not like I never put sunscreen on a guy before. _She yelled at herself as she approached him. She smiled at the feel of every one of his muscles as she rubbed his back.

She caressed him slowly, making him close his eyes. Her small hands felt like feathers sliding across him.

"You gotta bend down." She said to him reminding him that he was much taller than she was.

He turned around and faced her. He knelt down so she could do his shoulders, staring directly at her exposed stomach. He watched the way the sunscreen had made the flesh glisten and he resisted the urge to take the skin on her stomach into his mouth.

"All done." She said rubbing the excess sun screen on her shoulders.

He knew he had to stand up, but he would have a hard time trying to hide the massive erection he was growing. "You wanna just lay out or do you wanna to get in the water?" He prayed that she would just want to stay in the sun, a least for a couple of minutes so he could get himself together.

"Let's get in." She said running toward the ocean. She definitely needed the cold water to cool her burning flesh.

Jeff jogged behind her. At least this way she couldn't see what he was thinking about.

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Dave stood under the spray of the shower, mentally preparing for his match at the Super Show. He didn't hear the bathroom door open, or Britain step in behind him.

"You're hogging all the water." She said pushing him out of the way.

He turned and smiled. "You still mad at me?" He asked moving her wet hair off her shoulder and smiled when she shook her head. "What are you doing in here?" Normally, he would have to drag her in the shower with him, but with Chase in the next room, he didn't know if it was such a good idea.

"I'm taking a shower. What are you doing?"

He pulled her toward him by her arms until she pressed up against his chest. "Did you lock the door?"

"What for? Chase is gone." She tilted her head up to him. "Sherry called and they went to the beach. She said she'll be back in a few hours." Britain said with her best poker face.

"You sure she went with Sherry?". Chase had never really been one to lie before, that was all Maddy.

"I talked to her myself." Britain smiled." So we got a few hours...whatever will we do with the time?"

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Jeff and Chase laid on the blanket on the beach. They had played around in the water for at least a half hour, before Chase almost lost her top, thanks to Jeff demonstrating how a back body drop really worked. Embarrassed beyond belief, she suggested that they lay out for a while, before she had to get back.

"So? Where do you go next?" She asked Jeff as she applied more sun screen to her legs. He was so busy watching her that she had to ask him again.

"Um, Sacramento. Then, Portland, Seattle and then Vegas." Jeff said rolling onto his back. "I hate traveling this much. Especially since doin' the Supershow, I gotta go with Matt and _Ash-ley_." He whined her name, the same way she did.

Chase laughed. "You don't like her?"

"She's ok, I guess. She's just annoyin'. She tries too hard. I think she thinks Matt's gonna try to get back with Amy or somethin', 'cause she's always askin' me these stupid questions 'bout them." Jeff said as he mocked some of Ashley's questions. "Somethin' wrong?" He asked shielding his eyes from the sun. He could tell that she was struggling to say something.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I mean, you're not just hanging out with me because you feel sorry for me...are you?" Why couldn't she stop her mouth from saying the wrong thing, _every time_ she talked to him.

He smiled at her. "I got a little crush on you." He said rolling over to face her.

She smiled and turned away so he wouldn't see her mouth the words _Oh my God! _"My dad thinks your just trying to get in my pants."

Jeff found that to be most amusing. "If that's all I wanted, I'd a done it by now."

Her eyes grew big. "You're awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?" She laughed when he nodded.

"All I'd have to do is put on the Hardy Charm...works every time. I have the girls lined up around the corner." He liked the fact that he could put a smile on her face. "Nah, truth is ... you made a really hard trip easier for me. If anything, I thought you were feelin' sorry for me." He finally made eye contact.

It was something about the way he looked at her, that made her nervous and giddy. She knew she couldn't stop it, she was about to start rambling..."You don't think I'm an idiot do you? I mean talk a lot when I get nervous. Sometimes, I just go on and on and nobody knows what the hell I'm talking about. And I can't seem to keep my focus on one conversation, it's just these topics pop in my head and I have to get them out..." She stopped when she noticed Jeff laughing at her. "...I'm doing it again, aren't I?" Chase said titling her head.

"I don't think you're an idiot. And your ramblin's kinda nice. It's nice to be around somebody that I can just talk to. You'd be surprised how many women I meet that just talk 'bout stuff they think I'd be interested in. I don't get to meet too many real people anymore." He said sitting up. "Why are you nervous?"

There was something about being the one with all of the experience that he liked. She never had a serious boyfriend before, she never really had a guy pursue her before, and everything he did or said made her blush. She made him feel good, desirable, even interesting. He really liked her, no matter what her father thought his intensions were.

"What do you mean?" She asked digging her hand in the sand.

"You said you ramble when you're nervous." He said a smiling. _I can't be making her nervous. I'm the one with the sweaty palms. I'm the one trying not to sound like an idiot when I talk._

"I don't know. Maybe it's because my dad flipped out when he found out I was with you, or because Mr. Hunter's ratted me out. Or... maybe it's you." She threw in before throwing the sand at him. She ran for dear life, but he quickly caught up to her and threw her back in the ocean.

They didn't have a care in the world. It was the first time either one of them really had fun in a long time.

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"You should let your hair grow out." Britain said rubbing Dave's damp hair as his head rested on her stomach.

He turned and looked at her. "Why?" He liked his hair this length. He hated it when it was shaved off and when it was longer it was too much work. His hair was the perfect length to just wash it and go.

"Because, I liked it when it was longer; like when you first joined Evolution. It was a good length to run my fingers through." She smiled while playing with his ear.

"You just want it longer so you can grab on to it. I remember the way you would pull it. '_Oh Davey...yeah baby..._ '" He teased.

"I hate you." She said pushing his head off of her as hard as she could.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He asked putting his head back on her stomach.

"That's for making fun of me." She said popping on the back of his head.

"You don't hate me... you looovvvve me." He smiled. "Take it back...take it back." He demanded, but she was relentless.

She shook her head. She sat there with her arms folded and looked at the clock. It was almost noon Chase and Jeff still had an hour to get back. She had to think of another way to distract him before he got the urge to call her cell phone.

_Game on. _Dave let his wicked side get the better of him. He and Britain had this strange way of trying to one up each other. It was like they were always in a competition to see who the smartest, strongest, prettiest, whatever "est". It was this playful battle that they had that kept their relationship fun.

"We should have a baby." He said playing with her fingers. He laughed at the sight of face. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. _Oh, this is gonna be good, _he wickedly laughed inside. "What? You don't want to have a baby with me?"

"You've got three babies already." She said. _There's no way in hell you are going to treat any kid of mine like a child for the rest of their life._

"So what? I want a son." He said.

"Well then, you should adopt Randy." She answered.

"You're saying you never want to have kids?"

She thought about it. Kids, now that's a scary concept. She was never in the same place twice it felt like. What in the world would she do with a baby? "Maybe one day, many, many, many years from now. I'd like to wait until after I'm finished with this modeling thing. It's bad enough now going on go-sees competing with 15 year olds. Can you imagine what it would be like with a baby?" She said looking at the ceiling. "Besides, I want to be married before I have kids."

"Then we should get married." He said reaching up to touch her chin. _Check and mate, _he said to himself. She had no idea that she had fallen right into his trap.

"Are you on crack or something or are you having a mid-life crisis? Why the hell are you talking about kids and marriage?" She asked. She knew that she had told Chase that he wouldn't be able to think straight, but this was bordering on lunacy.

"So now you don't want to marry me either?" He asked pouting. He had to be convincing if he was going to win _this_ battle. It's not that he didn't want those things with her, but he knew right now was not the right time for either of them.

"Of course I want to marry you; but, not for a long time from now. Maybe when you finish wrestling or something." She answered quickly.

"Why wait?" He asked, paying particular attention to the way her eyes darted from side to side when she tried to think of an answer. He tried his best to keep a straight face.

"It's hard enough being your girlfriend and we never get to spend any time together. Can you imagine if we were married? You'd be in one part of the country and I'd be in another? Besides, I can't even get you to take the trash out when you stay at my house. There's no way in hell, I'm going to marry you until I can train you better." She tried to make it sound as sincere as possible. She had noticed the way his eyes were dancing, she knew what he was doing. _You think you're slick don't you. No way buddy!_

"We'd make it work." He said closing his eyes.

"You know… both my grandparents were married for over fifty years and my parents are coming up on 30 years. I don't want to be like those celebrity couples who get married today and divorce within the year. My marriage is going to last..." She started.

"Our marriage." He interrupted with a smile.

"Besides, I don't see what's wrong with living in sin." He watched her smile and he instantly gave up. _Damn her and that smile _he thought _she beat me again_.

He moved when she sat up. She folded her knees behind her and rested on them. She folded her hands together and lowered her head. "Oh, Deacon Batista. I need to confess my sins."

He sat up and tried to stifle his laugh. "And what are your sins, my child?" He asked making his voice deep and putting on a serious face.

She threw in a southern accent for added measure, "Well... I've been having these dreams, Deacon. These wonderfully graphic dreams, about making love to this muscular man with all these tattoos." She looked up at Dave and then back down at her folded hands.

"That doesn't sound so bad, my child." He played along.

"Well if you knew what these dreams were about. All the sinful things that I do to him… with my mouth... you'd think otherwise. Oh, Deacon. Do you think I need to be exorcised?" She said trying not to laugh.

"It depends, I need to hear about these dreams." He said biting his lip.

"Well. It's always the same. We're on a Chaise lounge that sits on a balcony at a hotel, about 5 floors up. And we make love at about..." She looked over at the clock, "...12:15 in the afternoon, on a Sunday no less."

He looked at the clock too. "Well what about the people in rooms next to yours? You're not afraid of them seeing you?" He asked wetting his lips of the prospect of being an exhibitionist.

"Why no. Especially when I know that Reverend Bischoff and Brother Teddy Long, have already gone to the revival." This was great! She couldn't convince him to make love to her after their shower; he just wanted to "cuddle". But now she definitely had him where she wanted him. She would buy Chase a few more minutes after all.

"And what about the people on the street, could they not see you...in your dream."

She shook her head. "We use a bed sheet to cover ourselves. I sit on his lap; no one is ever the wiser."

"And you say you use your mouth?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh Deacon. It's too horrible to describe. I'd have to show you." She said getting up from the bed and wrapping the sheet around her.

He closely followed her out onto the balcony and sat down on the Chaise lounge.

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They were at the hotel in no time. Jeff pulled up to the curb across the street so that Chase could get out undetected. He wanted to kiss her, just to feel her lips on his, but it was too soon for that. She turned toward him and looked into his green eyes.

"Thanks for taking me to the beach." Chase said taking off her seatbelt.

He answered turning off the engine. "Thanks for going with me."

He hated the fact that she was leaving; there was still so much he wanted to know about her. He had never believed in love at first sight, lust at first sight maybe; but this was different. In the two and a half days he had spent with her, he really felt like he had made a connection with her. His feelings were a lot stronger than a crush, like he had told her before. He'd be a liar if he said that he hadn't hoped that she felt the same.

"So what time's your flight?" He asked. She told him that she was leaving at four, but she needed to be at the airport by three. So this was it, it would be the last time he would see her. "Here's my email address. Maybe you could write me, if you have time." He said handing her a small piece of paper. "And you've got my cell..." What was he thinking? There is no way in hell this girl would give him a second thought once she got on that plane, but he had to try. He wanted her to know that he wasn't like what Dave thought, that he actually wanted to get to know her.

"Can I call you after your match?" She asked looking paper.

Jeff smiled. _Was that a yes? She's gonna call me?_ It was all he could do not to jump out of his seat.

"I had fun these couple of days." She kissed him quickly on the lips before hopping out of the car. She didn't give him time to respond, nor did she stick around long enough to see his face turn beet red.

He hadn't felt like this since high school, but in actuality it was nice. There was no pressure, no impending need to nail her, he'd actually made a friendship that may have had the possibility of turning into more. He waited until she crossed the street and headed toward the hotel door before he pulled off and into the parking lot. Before she entered she turned around and waved.

He waved back, grinning like an idiot.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Chase sat in the living room, staring at the television. She always watched her dad wrestle, but tonight, she had a different agenda.

Her younger sister, Maddy, sat beside her watching her watch the screen. "What's his name?" Maddy asked causally flipping through Hello! magazine.

"What are you talking about?" Chase snapped irritably.

"You've been smiling since you came home. Unless Daddy bought you a house or a yacht, the only other explanation is that you met a guy. Does he go to your school?" She asked as Alli walked into the room and sat between them.

"Dad bought you a yacht?" Alli asked, dogging the wad of paper Maddy had thrown at her.

Chase looked at her sisters. They couldn't be more opposite. To start, Madison like Allin had dark hair and dark eyes. They both looked like little female versions of her dad. Madison had dimples like hers; a trait they got from their mom, but that was about the only thing they had in common. Besides the physical difference, they were as different as night and day. Chase was the smart one. She was always studying and she really played up to that Daddy's little girl thing. Madison was the boy crazy one. She was the child that snuck out of the house and partied like there was no tomorrow. She didn't really care about anything, except being popular. Then there was Allin. She was the tomboy. Out of the three of them, she was the most likely to become a WWE Diva. She was certainly pretty and rough enough. If there was any sport, Allin could play it. She lived on the basket ball court, track, soccer field; you name it, she did it.

"I can't wait to move out." Chase said turning back to the TV.

"I'm getting your room when you go." Maddy smiled looking back down at her magazine.

"The hell you are. Where am I going to sleep when I come home on break?" Chase asked.

"You can get Alli's room. She's moving into mine." Maddy said.

"Nobody's moving." Emily, their mom chimed in from the kitchen.

Maddy poked out her tongue at her mom's voice. "So, what's his name?" Maddy asked again. Chase had been dying to tell her all about Jeff, but she couldn't with Alli in the room. She covered Alli's ears pulling her head into her lap. _Jeff Hardy_ Chase mouthed; causing both girls to scream and kick their feet on the floor.

"Oh my God. Tell me everything." Maddy said throwing her magazine on the table.

"Get off me!" Alli yelled pulling Chase's hands off her head. "I don't wanna hear about your stupid boyfriend anyway." She stomped into the kitchen with her mom.

Just as Chase was about to tell Maddy all about Jeff, he came on the screen. Chase couldn't control her grin. He looked so good. He wore a black mess shirt and baggy black pants. He had his hair pulled back in a ponytail, letting the blue in the front of his hair stand out. He had strange designs shaped into his beard. He definitely looked like Jeff Hardy the wrestler, not like Jeff that she had hung out with the past few days.

Both girls watched in silence as Jeff walked down the ramp, waving at the fans cheering for him. Chase made detailed notes about every movement he made as he wrestled Rob Conway. He moved gracefully, jumping off ropes, spring boarding his body into the air. His cat like movements as he crawled across the ring to pin Rob made her heart pound.

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Dave Batista pulled his shirt down over his head. The match had gone well. As planned, he ended up in a DQ against his Bobby Lashley. The two big men were merciless at throwing each other around the ring. But wrestling Bobby took a lot out of him. He was exhausted. All he wanted to do was to get back to the hotel and get some sleep. They had to be in San Francisco by one the next day and he knew it would be a long trip. He stretched and started to pack his duffel bag.

"Hey Rainbow," Dave heard Hunter yell from the other side of the locker room. He immediately looked up. "Have fun with Chase yesterday?" Hunter looked at Dave, who was now looking at a stunned Jeff Hardy.

_How the fuck he find out I was with her?_ Jeff asked himself.

"Hunt man, leave him alone." Randy said stepping in front of him. John had told Randy how Hunter had treated Britain and that he had gotten Chase in trouble. The last thing he wanted was for Hunter to make Dave kill Jeff. He liked Jeff. He had only met him a few times, but seemed like was alright.

"No, Randy, I won't leave him alone. I saw you drop her off at the corner, just before you pulled into the lot. You even got a kiss. Way to sneak around." He said approaching Jeff holding up two thumbs up.

"What I do and who I do it with is none of your fuckin' business." Jeff said approaching Hunter.

"But it's _his_ business. Especially since you're doing it with his daughter." Hunter said smiling at Dave.

One part of Dave's brain tried to be rational, it really did. But the rest of his body wasn't listening. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed Jeff and pinned him up against the lockers. He hardly felt Matt, Randy and John trying to pull him off of Jeff. "I'll tell you this one time and one time only. Stay the fuck away from my daughter." He said with is face inches from Jeff's, his voice firm and unwavering.

"You're daughter's old enough to make her own decisions." Jeff said his voice just as firm. He didn't back down from Dave's gaze, he held his ground and Dave's arm as it pressed against his chest. "Get your fuckin' hands off me."

"You touch her and I'll fucking kill you!" Dave yelled slamming Jeff against the lockers again. The door handle of one locker made contact with Jeff's lower back, sending a sharp pain throughout.

Jeff didn't flinch at the pain; he remained calm and kept his gaze firmly focused on Dave.

Hunter stood back laughing as John and Randy pulled Dave off of him. "Let him go, bro. Get your shit and go." Randy said into Dave's ear.

Dave grabbed his bag and shot a disgusted look at Hunter who was still laughing. He turned to Jeff and pointed his index finger. "One time..." He said before bursting through the door.

Britain had been standing in the hall outside the locker-room talking to Kristal when Dave came out and grabbed her by the arm. "Let's go." He said, practically dragging her down the hall.

Kristal stood by shocked. Dave was always so calm, even when he was in a bad mood he was calm. She watched as Britain wrenched her arm free and yelled at him. "What the fuck is your problem?" Britain asked stopping in the middle of the hall.

"I'm ready to go." He snapped. She almost jumped back. He had only ever raised his voice at her one time before. That was _not _supposed to happen again.

"Ok, I don't know what just happened in there, but you're not taking it out on me. You don't grab me, like some Neanderthal." She said placing her hands on her hips.

_I'm not in the mood for this shit, right now._. He knew if he said it, he would have to listen to her bitch at him all night. "Look, I'm sorry. Can we go now?" He asked, trying to soften his voice, but his face was growing more impatient.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you taking a _tone_ with me?" She took a step back to look him up and down. What was the hell was his problem? Maybe he had forgotten who he was or something; she was definitely going to remind him.

He had to admit, that was one of the things he loved about her. She didn't back down from anything, no matter who or what it was. She demanded respect and he either going to give it her, or he would be without her. He noticed, Ric, John and Hunter standing outside the locker room looking at them. That's all he needed, an audience. Ric and John had actually come out to make sure he had left, while Hunter was just there to enjoy his handy work.

"You know. Maybe you should go back to the hotel by yourself. I'll get a ride with someone else. I think you need time to calm down." She said walking away from him.

"Britain...I'm tired. I'm not in the mood for this shit right now. Can we just leave, please?" He called out as he watched her walk back toward the locker room throwing up her hand to dismiss him. "FUCK!" He yelled throwing down his bag. "Britain...Britain!" He called after her, but she walked into the Diva's locker room. "Son of a bitch!" He picked up his bag and barged through the double doors.

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"You don't listen do you? I told you to leave that girl alone. Now you got Evolution plus one on your ass! Damn, Jeff, what the fuck did you do to that girl?" Matt turned and looked down at his brother who was holding an icepack against the bruise on his back. Jeff shrugged. "You can have any girl you want. And you had to go screw with Dave Batista's daughter. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Calm down, Matt. I didn't do nothin' to her. I just spent some time with her. Why is this such a big deal to everybody?" Jeff asked shaking his head.

"Dave's not a bad guy. It's Hunter you gotta watch out for. He's a real asshole. He'll pump Dave's head so full of shit that he'll come after you." Matt paced the floor. "You gotta leave her alone."

It was that simple. All Jeff had to do was not ever speak to Chase again, problem solved. Only, Jeff _wanted_ to talk to Chase, he wanted to get to know her better. That may have been a problem to everyone else, but it wasn't for him. "No. I'm not gonna leave her alone. I like her Matt; it's that simple. We're both adults and anythin' we do or _don't_ do is between us. There's nothin' you, Hunter or Dave himself can do about it." Jeff said shifting his position on the bed.

"I can't protect you Jeff. After tonight, you go back on the road with those assholes from Raw. At least I'll be able to watch Dave, but like I said...Hunter's the problem. Just promise me, you'll leave her alone." Matt looked over at Jeff who was smiling. "You don't think do you? Jesus Jeff..."

Jeff reached in his pocket to grab his phone. He smiled at the number, completely ignoring Matt. "Hey Chase. How was your flight?" He said into his phone.

Matt shook his head in anger and walked through the adjoining doors, slamming it behind him. He looked at Ashley who was sitting on the bed. "He's gonna get himself killed."

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Britain rode back to the hotel with John and Randy. They filled her in on what happened in the locker-room. She couldn't help but to feel like it was partly her fault. If she hadn't covered for Chase, Hunter would have never seen them together. "Why do you hang out with him?" She asked turning to look at John.

John shrugged. "Hunter's not a bad guy; he just has this side of him...he gets in these moods..." He couldn't figure out what exactly he was trying to say. He really didn't know why he hung out with him anyway.

"He's a bully. Only he gets other people to do his dirty work..." She said, "And I don't believe Dave. That's so not cool."

"He was just mad." John smiled. "I'm sure Jeff's ok."

"So that makes it better. Because he was mad he can just take it out on Jeff, he can just embarrass me like that? Fuck that." She said getting mad all over again. She was trying to ignore her cell phone that was ringing for the third time. Each time, she knew it was him.

"Are you going to answer that?" Randy asked pointing to her phone from the back seat.

Britain huffed, then opened her phone. "What?...I don't want to talk to you right now...yeah...well you know I didn't come here to spend time with you, when you're acting like a child...whatever..." She paused listening to him talk. John and Randy could hear him through her phone. "You need to lower your voice...I'm not one of your kids, you will_ not _talk to me like that...yeah... well, maybe I don't want to stay with you tonight...I don't threaten David, you know me better than that...look, I'm not having this conversation right now...call me back when you get yourself together." Ultimately tired of his the sound of his voice, she snapped the phone shut.

"Damn, you ain't no joke." John said laughing. It was funny; this 5'8" 120 pound woman had Dave Batista on a leash. She was definitely the one that wore the pants in their relationship; he couldn't stop laughing.

"It's not funny John. I don't like him like this. He just makes me so angry sometimes." She said clinching her phone. She remained silent for the rest of the ride, wondering what was in store when and if she went back to the suite.

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Jeff hardly felt the bruise on his back anymore. He was so happy that he talked to Chase; he could have just had surgery and wouldn't have felt it. He walked toward the door and opened it. He was surprised to see Britain standing in the hallway and he moved to the side to let her in. He listened to her as she apologized for being the reason Dave zapped out on him.

"It's not your fault. I knew what I was doin'." He said sitting on his bed. He told her that he talked to Chase and how pissed she was to hear what her father had done. Then he listened to Britain apologize some more. Just as she started to leave, he stopped her. "Are you gonna see Chase for her birthday?" he asked.

She nodded. "Can you give her this for me and tell her happy birthday?" He handed her a poster mailing tube which was carefully sealed on both ends.

Britain took the tube and told him she would.

"Thanks." He said as he closed the door behind her. He laid in his bed and smiled, imaging Chase's face when she opened his gift.

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Britain sat the mailing tube down by their bags that were packed and sitting at the door. She made her way to the bedroom, where Dave was sitting in the chair facing the balcony. He turned around when she turned on the light. Without saying a word, she walked over to the dresser and took off her earrings and watch.

He walked over to her, with his head down and his hands in his pockets. "Babe..."

She ignored him and walked into the bathroom. She watched him through the mirror as he leaned against the doorway watching her brush her teeth. All this hovering was making her angry. She rinsed her mouth and turned around to face him.

"What?" She snapped.

"Babe...Britain… I'm sorry." He said walking toward her.

"You're sorry for what?" She asked folding her arms, leaning against the sink.

"I'm sorry I grabbed you, I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I embarrassed you..." He lowered his head and softened his voice, "I'm sorry."

"And are you sorry for what you did to Jeff?" She refused to give into those big brown puppy dog eyes.

When he didn't answer, she knew his response. She walked passed him and back into the bedroom.

"What do you want me to say?" He stood with his hands down by his sides. "I over reacted? She lied to me; she snuck out and saw him anyway, after I strictly told her not to."

"What did you expect her to do? You're trying to run her life. She's a grown woman!" This conversation was going nowhere, and she was tired of having it. She took off her clothes and put on a t-shirt before angrily pulling back the covers and getting in the bed.

He started to say something but stopped. He knew that she wouldn't listen anyway.

"Can you turn off the light?" She asked turning her back to him.

Reluctantly, he clicked the light and retreated to the room that was Chase's. He knew that tonight, he would be sleeping by himself.

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The drive from LA to San Francisco had been a quiet one. Britain had watched the uncomfortable way Dave laid on the small bed that was the room he took. She knew he didn't sleep well. She, on the other hand, enjoyed the entire king size bed, making sure to spread out across his side.

After he had put their bags in the truck, she had taken the keys without asking him and made her way to the driver's seat. She waited while he shook hands with Ric, Randy and John; she watched as he nodded toward Hunter. She knew that he missed being on Raw, because he wasn't around them. But they saw each other at least once a month a Pay-Per-Views so that was better than nothing.

To her surprise Randy, Ric and John walked with him to the truck. She heard Ric talking to him. "You need to apologize." Ric said pulling Dave aside.

"I did, she won't listen." He was frustrated. Although they didn't argue much, when Britain got mad she was stubborn. He remembered the time that they fought because she had waited up all night for him to get to her house, only for him to call the next day and say he was still with Hunter and wasn't coming. She didn't talk to him for two weeks. Her resolve was unstoppable.

"You need to make her listen. She's a good woman and you fucked up. You got to tell her you understand what you did was wrong and make it right." Dave looked at Ric in shock. Here was this man that couldn't keep a relationship with a woman if his life depended on it. But what he said made sense.

"It was an argument. It's not like we're gonna break up or anything." Dave said fully understanding the severity of Britain's temper.

"Yeah, but it was an argument about your kid and Hardy. You were young once; did you do what your parents told you to?" Ric patted Dave's shoulder, "All I'm saying is, be prepared to have more arguments over this same subject. Hardy didn't look like he was ready to throw in the towel. You don't want to have another fight with this one not resolved."

Dave watched as Ric walked away and over to the truck. Britain climbed out of the seat and hugged her. "He loves you, you know that?"

She nodded. She knew full well how he felt; she felt the same way. But he just made her so angry sometime. She was always taught that you don't say things in anger, because you can't take them back.

John hugged her next and kissed her on her cheek, "Take it easy champ. Don't hurt him too bad." He laughed tightening his grip. She kissed Randy on the cheek.

"You coming to Tampa?" Randy asked holding her hand. She shrugged and hugged him.

Dave said goodbye again and got in the passenger's seat.

She was content listening to his slight snore as she drove. Her mind ran over a million things. _I came here to spend time with him. We hardly see each other as it is, and I'll be damned if we don't end up fighting. We get a week a month together, if that much and he has to screw it up. _But he just looked so cute sleeping there. She decided during that drive that she would talk to him when they got to the hotel.

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Jeff text messaged Chase once he got to the hotel. The flight from LA to Sacramento was short, an hour and twenty minutes, but he still felt like it was an eternity since he had talked to her just before he got on the plane.

_What r u doing 4 ur b-day? _He typed. He smiled when she replied almost instantly.

_Dinner. Mayb Universal Studios. _

_Can u come to Miami_ he wrote back.

_Y?_ she asked.

_Gonna b there 12. Raw on 14 days off. _He typed walking up to his hotel room door.

_Britain's there. Mayb I sta w/ her. Gotta c._ She answered.

_Call later; nap_. He finished and closed his phone.

He really hoped that she could make it to Miami to see him. Even if they just went to the movies or to lunch, he would be happy. He just didn't want it to end.

It couldn't.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Britain only had one more day until she had to be in Miami. She had checked her schedule, she had a photo shoot and the contractors were coming to renovate the bathroom in her condo. As much as she would have liked to travel more with Dave, she had things to do back home. Besides, she was making the trip back to Tampa on Sunday for his pay-per-view.

Not only was it hard with the two of them traveling so much, but the fact that they lived five hours from each other didn't help either. Their relationship was truly a testament of will. They had to make the effort to spend time together; otherwise, what was the point?

They often joked that they had sex entirely too much. But when you averaged out how much they actually saw each other: about 7 days a month, times the amount of times they had sex in a month; about 8 to 10, it was equivalent to a normal couple having about once a week.

It didn't help that she was still making him pay for being an ass that night in LA. Although they had made up, were talking to each other and sleeping in the same bed again, she refused to have sex with him. A lesson had to be taught. This game was about will power. She was so tempted to just say the hell with it and jump him, but she couldn't; he wanted her so bad, but he couldn't be the first to cave. They had spent the past nine days making each other crazy, trying to make the other crumble, but all that had resulted in was a lot of cold showers.

Dave and Britain arrived at Emily's house in Tampa for Chase's birthday dinner. As soon as he rang the bell, he was bombarded by Maddy. "Daddy!" Madison screamed and jumped into his arms. At 5'3" she was definitely the shortest of any Batista, Britain had met.

"Hey Pumpkin." He smiled hugging her.

She quickly let go of him and hugged Britain. "So tell me all of the cool places you've been lately." She said looping her arm around Britain's, practically dragging her in the house.

He walked in stood behind Alli, who was listening to her walkman on the couch. She hadn't even heard him ring the bell. He put his hands over her eyes. "Dad?" She said smiling.

"How'd you know it was me, Peanut?" He laughed. He watched as his youngest daughter, got up and walked over to him. She hugged him tightly and went back to the couch. "That's it? That's all I get?" he asked sitting down next to her.

"I'm tired. I started Volley Ball camp this week. I had to run 5 miles." She said with a faint smile. He missed seeing her play.

She smiled when Britain said hello to her. She liked Britain, but she knew her mom didn't. Alli was the closest to her mom and tended to go along with what she thought.

"So where's the birthday girl?" Dave asked standing up. Alli pointed toward the kitchen. Dave walked in and saw Chase and Emily talking. "Hey." He said leaning against the door. Chase smiled and ran over and hugged him. "Happy birthday, Princess." He said wrapping her in his arms.

"You have got to stop calling them those names. They're too old for that." Emily said smiling at him. Their relationship was usually pleasant, but there was a lot of hurt and resentment left on her part.

"Why? I like those names." Maddy said, putting her arm around her dad.

Emily shook her head. "Princess, Pumpkin and Peanut? It sounds like the title of a bad fairytale."

Britain walked into the kitchen and spoke to Emily. Emily gave her a half hearted smile and turned around to get something out of the fridge. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So where are my presents?" Chase asked rubbing her hands together.

Emily and Alli had cleared the dishes and had just sat back down around when the table, when she asked. Britain looked at Dave and he nodded. She pulled out a small box and handed it to him, while she held on to the envelope.

Dave handed the box to Chase. She almost cried when she saw the beautiful diamond tiara charm hanging from a thin gold chain. "Daddy, it's beautiful." She said running her fingers over the charm.

"Every princess needs a tiara." He said trying to choke down his emotion.

"This is from me." Britain said handing her an envelope.

Chase opened it and screamed. "Are you serious? Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She yelled running over to Britain and hugging her. "An open ticket to Austria." She squealed.

Dave lowered his head. He knew how much Chase wanted to go to Europe, but he didn't want her to go alone and with his schedule, he knew he couldn't take her. Britain could see Emily's nostrils flare. She and Dave had argued over whether it would be ok for Britain to do that. Emily really didn't mind, but it's just that Britain was the one who did it that pissed her off.

"I didn't know what part of Europe you wanted to go to, or when, so I left it open. You got 7 days, go whenever you like. When you go you can stay with my Oma and my aunt Lesil, they're expecting you. Austria's in the middle of a lot. You can take the train into Prague, Italy, Switzerland. It's great." She said before getting bear hugged again.

"Well on my birthday I want to go to Brazil." Maddy said to Britain. "I don't have any family there; if you can settle on Mexico I'll see what I can do...if that's ok with your parents." She said looking at Emily.

As happy as she was about her birthday, all Chase wanted to do was to call Jeff.

"So you up for Universal on Friday?" Dave asked his girls. Both Maddy and Alli seemed excited.

"About that Daddy...can I skip out this time?" She asked hoping he wouldn't zap out.

"Why? You love Universal Studios."

"I know. I kinda wanted to go to Miami this weekend." she said looking at him trying her best to make sad eyes, "I have some friends that rented a house at the beach for the week and I wanted to see them before I go back to school." Even she was impressed, lying wasn't so hard after all. She had Maddy coach her all week.

Maddy thought it was romantic that Chase wanted to sneak off and see Jeff. She's the one that came up the scheme in the first place.

Dave shook his head. "I know there's going to be drinking and a bunch of kids on at the beach usually leads to all kinds of trouble."

Britain felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. He was doing it again. _Didn't we just have this conversation_? "You can stay with me." She said giving Dave "the look".

Chase pleaded with his eyes. This was unfair. Not only did he have Britain boring holes through his skull, but he had Chase blue eyes piercing his heart. Finally he shrugged. "What do you think?" He asked Emily.

"You think you can handle keeping on eye on her?" She asked in a sarcastic tone, "I mean it's almost like her being with her friends. You're like the same age."

Britain's eyes darted at Emily. "Is that a yes or a no?" She asked rudely.

"Whatever." Emily said as Chase peppered her with kisses.

"Good. You can fly down with me tomorrow and we'll come back on Sunday. I hate flying alone." Britain said hugging Chase.

"I want to come." Maddy whined.

"Oh no. I'm taking the two children that still like me to Universal Studios and that's that." Dave said standing up.

He kissed his girls and said goodnight to them. He told them he would be by tomorrow to take them out and to see Alli at Volley Ball camp.

Just as they were about to leave, Britain got the mailing tube she had left by the door. She pulled Chase aside. "Jeff told me to give this to you."

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Chase sat in her room with her heart racing. Maddy had come in after her mom went to bed to see what Jeff had gotten her for her birthday.

"So what is it?" She asked, sitting on Chase's bed.

"I don't know, it said to call him before I open it." She said reading the words on he had written on the tube.

She picked up her cell phone and dialed his number.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I was startin' to think you wouldn't call." He said answering the phone. "You didn't open it yet, did you?" He was relieved when she said no.

"Go turn your web-cam on." He instructed. She did and in a few minutes he saw her beautiful face on his laptop. "Can you see me?" He asked.

"Yup. Nice hair. Purple's a good color on you." She laughed.

"Hi Jeff. I'm Madison, her younger cuter sister." Maddy waved. He waved back. "Happy birthday." Maddy said kissing Chase and she left Chase alone to talk to Jeff.

"Well, open it." He was more excited than she was.

"You didn't have to get me anything for my birthday." She said trying to open the carton.

"I didn't. I wanted to _give_ you something." He said smiling.

She pulled open the tube and then a poster. She unraveled it and she instantly felt her insides turn to mush. It was a portrait of an angel. She was dressed in white, wearing a long flowing robe. She had colorful wings and golden hair. Chase looked closer; the angel had dark blue eyes and dimples. The angel's face looked exactly like hers. _He made me an angel, _she said to herself trying not to cry.

"You did this for me?" She said looking into the camera.

"I just had to see your face...just needed to know if you liked it." He said softly.

"It's beautiful. I love it." She couldn't believe it. This guy was too much.

"Oh and what birthday is complete without this?" He asked grabbing his guitar. He sung happy birthday to her and she couldn't stop smiling.

When he was done he asked her about Miami. "Britain said yes. I had to lie to my dad. I told him I was going to visit some friends. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Can I see you on Friday? Maybe we can get dinner or somethin'" He asked looking down at his keyboard. His head popped up when she said yes.

"You know, I can see you blushing through the web-cam." She laughed.

"You need to adjust the tent on your monitor." He laughed back.

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Dave couldn't take it anymore. He had been celibate for nine days now and it was killing him. It was easier to be on the road with out sex, when she wasn't around. But just looking at her was tough. It was easy to keep his mind off of Britain while he was with his kids, but now that they were back at his house, alone, it was a different story.

He watched her as she was undressing for bed. The way she had to wiggle out of her jeans, because they clung to her hips made his mouth water; and the way she crossed her arms over the bottom of her shirt to pull it off made him want to rip that shirt to pieces. _Good lord! She's wearing the see-through underwear she got me for my birthday last year_. _You can do this Dave. Just get in the bed and go to sleep._

Britain walked over to the covers and pulled them back. _I thought for sure these underwear would break him down, they always did before. _She was burning inside. She wanted nothing more than to just say screw it all and take him right there, but she couldn't her pride wouldn't let her. She sank into the bed and turned her back to him. She felt the bed shift with his weight as he got in.

She gasped for breath when his arm came around her as he snuggled up next to her. She could feel that he wanted her as badly she wanted him. She closed her eyes when she felt his breath on her neck. _Breathe damn it! You can do this._

He let his finger touch her lips. He was too busy concentrating on the feel of her backside against his pelvis to realize what he was doing. He became suddenly aware when she felt her lips pucker on his finger, followed by the tip of her tongue. He heard himself exhale deeply when he felt her warm mouth take his index finger inside.

"I'm sorry." He said against her ear. "Please don't be mad at me anymore." He whispered.

He didn't care who lost their resolve first, he only knew that he missed her. He leaned over and pulled her to her back. "I love you." He said his lips barely touching hers. He didn't even know if she responded, he could only concentrate on her kiss.

As he made love to her, he promised never to yell at her again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Chase looked at the photos on Britain's fireplace. She had been to the condo on several occasions and always loved to see the new pictures Britain added; today was no different. She let her eyes wander over pictures of Britain and pictures of her dad and pictures of Britain with her dad. She couldn't help but admire how happy they looked.

She noticed the 10x13 black and white photo in the back. She picked it up and stared.

Britain and Dave were both naked. He stood behind her, his with one arm wrapped around her he covered her breast while and his other arm was draped across her body, his hand covering her most intimate part. Her arms covered his and their fingers were intertwined. What struck her most about the photo was the look in on their faces. His head was bent toward her neck, his eyes loving sweeping her naked body while her head was slightly turned to look at him, like she was feeling him take in her beauty.

The intensity and desire in their eyes caught Chase's gaze immediately. It was as if someone had been able to capture what it felt like when she thought about Jeff. Even though she didn't know him that well, she found herself aching to touch him, wanting to kiss him, wondering what it would be like to make love to him.

"You like that one?" Britain asked walking into the living room. Chase quickly put the picture back on the fireplace. Britain smiled and adjusted the picture back to where it was. "It is a great picture. My friend Christina took it. It's your dad's favorite, too."

"Why do you and my dad have sex so much?" Chase asked, kicking herself. She had hoped it would come out better than that.

Britain whipped around, almost knocking down everything on the fireplace.

"I mean you guys kept doing it in LA. Do you always have sex that much?" Chase asked, digging the hole deeper and deeper.

Britain smiled. "Well, you know..." Her voice was soft and distant.

Chase knew that she was thinking about it. Chase looked at Britain and shook her head.

It hit Britain like a stack of bricks. _Of course she doesn't know. I'm surprised Dave didn't buy her a chastity belt for her birthday._

Britain never thought in a million years she would be having the sex talk with Chase. That was a job for her mom. But Emily was a bitch and probably wouldn't be honest with her. The same way her Ma wasn't honest about it either. She had fed her this crap about it being beautiful and the closest possible way you can be with another person. She didn't tell her the real deal, like how sometimes, you can't sleep at night because your body aches to be touched, or that sometimes, you like to be hurt because it gets you off, or how giving your first blow job can feel like you're choking to death, or about all the fun stuff you could try; like snowballing...

She walked over to the couch and sat next to Chase. "Well...because it's the closest you can be with another person." Did she just say that? That was the same crap her mom told her. If she was going to have this talk, she was going to be honest by God. "It's like this; I love your dad, and I love _being_ with him. It just feels good...it's kind of like me being able to show him physically what I feel for him in my heart."

Chase's look was bordering on disgust at the thought of her dad having sex and utter confusion. "What's it like?" She asked biting her finger nail. She couldn't come right out and tell Britain that she was feeling that way about Jeff.

"What's what like? Sex or sex with your dad?" Britain cautiously asked, praying she didn't mean the latter.

Chase shrugged, "Just sex in general."

Britain got the hint, Chase was thinking about someone in particular. She couldn't help but to smile. "Why do you want to know all of a sudden? It wouldn't have anything to do with one Jeff Hardy, would it?"

Chase's eyes grew big. She could tell by Britain's smile that her secret was safe. She couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm not telling you what to do; I would never do that. But please take your time. Once it's gone, you can never get it back." Britain turned to face her "Jeff's had a _whole _lot more experience than you, but don't let him talk you in to doing something that you're not ready for. There's nothing worse than a really bad experience your first time."

Chase felt sad. "I don't even think he's thought about me like that."

"Why not?" Britain asked.

"Look at me. I look like an eternal child. I'm not one of those wild stripper types that John goes for and I'm an exotic sex symbol like you...I'm plain. I'm the old fashion, wholesome all American girl. I'm sure has all types of sexy women dying to be with him. Why would he want me?" The thought of it made her want to cry. She wanted to be desirable, to have him look at her the way her dad looked at Britain in that photo.

"You're a beautiful woman and believe me he sees that. I talked to him about you. You should have seen the way his eyes lit up. He'd be crazy not to want you." Britain said moving Chase's hair behind her ear.

Chase looked at Britain and sighed. "What was your first time like?"

Britain broke out in hysterical laughter. "It sucked! It was the worst fucking thing ever! I swear I didn't do it again for 8 months, it was so bad." She noticed the look of horror on Chase's face. She wasn't doing a very good job at making her feel at ease. "Well, nobody told me what to expect. I understood the emotional parts of it, but they left out all the physical stuff."

"How old were you?" Chase asked.

"Sixteen. I wish I would have waited. When we moved to San Diego, I was fourteen. There was this boy who lived down the street, Nuñez, we started going out and one day it happened. Man was it awful." Chase smiled eagerly awaiting the rest of the story. "Well to start, he was a virgin too; and neither one of us knew what the hell we were doing. We had the making out part down, but he didn't do anything to 'get me ready'. He just stabbed into me. Oh my God, it hurt so fucking bad, and he wasn't angled right or something, because the more he moved the more uncomfortable it got. Then I was bleeding...I thought he broke something. And then in like three minutes, it was over." Britain finished through her laughter.

"You bled?" The sight of blood made Chase feel nauseous. Oh, Britain was surely changing her mind on the whole idea.

"Not everyone does. I did, but I'm sure that's because he didn't know what in the hell he was doing...but we kept going out and tried it again, and each time it got better and better. "

Chase nodded in understanding. "What changed?"

"I don't know. I think I as I got older, I started to know what I liked. Don't let anybody tell you that experimenting can't be fun. It's better when you're with someone that's not just interested in getting off. When you're with someone that wants to give you pleasure their more open to it." Britain looked over at Chase, "Plus masturbation helps..."

Chase wanted to crawl away. _I don't believe she just said that!_

"I'm serious. How else would you know what feels good to you, unless you've felt it? Sometimes you know what you want, but not how you want it. Some of my best sexual experiences have been when I'm home by myself with a glass of wine and a bath..."

"Ok! I get the picture." Chase said quickly.

"Sorry... Anyway, you'll know when you're ready; not when Jeff's ready or when your dad is ready, but do it when _you_ are ready." Britain hugged Chase and left her alone to think.

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Jeff dialed Chase's phone a little after one in the morning.

"Hey, you sleep?" He asked after hearing Chase's voice.

"Not really." She adjusted in the bed.

"I was thinkin' about you." He said softly. He could hear her smiling through the phone.

"Nothing bad I hope." She said.

"Nope. Matt's been givin' me shit about seein' you this weekend. He says I'm gonna corrupt you." He laughed. The thought that he could corrupt someone was somewhat amusing. Jeff was usually the one who did things on a dare, not the other way around.

"Maybe I want to be corrupted." She smiled.

"Chase, you flirtin' with me?" He couldn't stop smiling.

"Have you been drawing lately?" She asked sitting up in the bed.

"Yeah." He laid back on his bed and closed his eyes. "You know what a muse is?" He smiled when she said no.

"Well, some people believe that muses were the daughters of Zeus. They were put on earth to inspire man. They all do different things. Some muses help people write music, some help paint, some deal with love. But there are some people that think that muses are angels that come down and help people out. I think you're my muse."

She was shocked. She had never been told she was an inspiration for anyone before.

"Before I met you, I was bored and depressed. I couldn't draw anymore...but now, I feel like I want to do things. And it's weird because I know we're just friends and all, but I just want to be around you all the time." He said pouring his heart out.

"Are you drunk or something?" She asked laughing.

"It's not often you're gonna hear me talk like this, so you better appreciate it. These two weeks, have been the most fun I've had in a long time." He listened to her silence. He was sure he had gone too far. He really liked his girl and here he was scaring her off.

"Me too." She said finally.

Jeff laughed.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"I haven't felt this nervous around a girl since high school." He admitted. Talking to her was easy. Right now he didn't care if he sounded stupid he had to let her know how he felt.

"Why do I make you nervous?" She asked with a giggle in her voice. She had to admit that she liked the fact that she had this effect on him.

"I don't know..." He thought of how he should say it, "I like you. I know that I haven't known you that long, but I like you. And I kinda hope that one day we can be more than just friends. I keep thinkin' about everythin' I say to you before I say it, because I don't want to screw this up."

"And what _is _this?" she asked. He was saying everything she was thinking.

"I have no idea. I know what I'd like it to be." He said letting his voice trail off. He hoped she didn't hear that last part.

"Jeff," Chase closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "I've never met anybody like you before..."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He laughed.

"Let me finish..." She laughed back. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to date. I don't know how to be like those girls that you meet after the show. I can't be like that; I don't want to be like that. I want you to like me, but I'm not willing to change who I am for that to happen."

"Why do you think I'd want you to change? I _like _that you're not like them. I like that you're real. I think it's cute that you're so inexperienced; it makes it different. Don't you think if I wanted to be with those other girls, I would be? I'm not interested in them, I'm interested in you." He couldn't believe that this girl made him feel like this. He had only known her for all of two weeks and she already occupied every part of his mind.

"So what do we do now? How am I supposed to be around you?" She asked sincerely. She didn't know what to do after an admission like that. But she relaxed when she heard him laugh.

"You act the same. That's what I like about you. Don't change."

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Dave couldn't stop laughing. He had been listening to Britain talk to him about her first sexual experience for about an hour.

"What made you think about that?" He asked adjusting the phone to his ear. She knew she couldn't tell him that Chase asked about it. So she lied. She told him that it was just on her mind.

"So what about your first time?" She asked sinking back into her pillows.

"It was great. _I_ was great. I think it lasted for about 30 seconds. But it was definitely the best 30 seconds of her life." He laughed.

"And after all this time, you've only learned to last a minute? I guess I should be grateful that you built up your stamina." She mocked.

"What does that mean? I'm not a minute man...two maybe, but not a minute." He joked.

Dave was an amazing lover and they both knew it. Not only was he gentle and generous, he could last for hours. When they first got together, she use to search his bag looking for Viagra, she swore that was the only way that he could last _that_ long. But to her surprise and utter happiness, it was just him. He was that damn good. And on the few occasions that he finished before her, he would still make sure that she was satisfied.

"What I wouldn't give for two minutes right now." She said sighing.

"For you," He breathed heavily into the phone. "I'll make it five."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Shannon Moore arrived at Wilmington/Douglas airport a little after 4 pm. After much protest from Matt, Shannon had taken Jeff's phone, found Chase's number and asked her to come to Cameron for Jeff's 30th birthday party.

"You're his birthday present." Shannon had told her, "He doesn't know you're comin'."

She was so excited to be a part of the surprise, it was all she could do not to call Jeff and tell him. After all, Jeff's gift to her, the angel painting, had meant so much to her. She was all too happy to share in his.

_The last time she saw him was in Miami. They had so much fun in the two days they were together. She talked Jeff into letting her cut his hair; it now hung just below his shoulder blades. He even let her color the ends pink, which was her favorite color. He had even gone with Chase to get her first tattoo. She had been so excited about getting a tiara on her waistline, but when the moment of truth came she started to chicken out._

_"I'll hold your hand." Jeff said pulling her up and onto the tattoo artist's chair._

_When the tattoo guy asked her where she wanted it, she looked over at Jeff. She was more afraid to pull her pants down in front of him than she was for this complete stranger. Jeff could tell she was nervous, so he turned his head. Chase unbuttoned her pants and pulled her underwear down just above her groin._

_Once she was up on the table and clinging to Jeff's hand, he looked over at her. He could see part of her pink cotton panties as she laid on the table. He couldn't get the image out of his head. She was so different then those other girls that wore the lacey thongy types that seemed to always be after him. Cotton panties were just as sexy to him, because they were unassuming, they reminded him of her; they were natural._

_Although they did nothing more than hold hands that entire weekend; it was everything they had both hoped it would be._

Chase remembered Britain's face when her Dad asked her was it necessary for her to house sit, while she was in London. Britain was pissed. After she lied to Dave _again_, she pulled Chase aside.

_"Don't do that to me again. I don't like lying to your dad." It would have one thing if Chase would have talked to her about it first, but being put on the spot was something completely different. "I don't have a problem with you seeing him. I say go for it; but leave me out of it. I helped you out once, and you used me to see him in Miami...if you're going to be a grown up and sneak around, then you have to do without my help." Britain said firmly. Chase felt bad for putting her in the middle, but until she left for school in a few days, Britain was her only way._

So now, here she was in the airport soon to be in Cameron; her dad thinking she was in Miami and Jeff not knowing she was coming.

Shannon recognized Chase immediately from the photos she and Jeff took in a booth at South Beach. "Chase?"

"Shannon?" She extended her hand.

"You got more bags? We need to hurry if we're going to make your grand entrance on time. It's about an hour drive to Cameron from here." He explained while taking her carry on.

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Hunter Hearst Helmsley sat across from his wife at the dinner table. It had been a long time since they were both home at the same time. The familiarity of being away from each other was all too apparent. Both of them sat quietly, now use to being without the other, widening the gap between them.

He had finished his meal before she did and without thinking, he arose from the table to discard of his plate.

Stephanie sat at the table alone, staring at his empty chair. "So much for talking." It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were suppose to be together this weekend, reconnecting. Between his traveling schedule with Raw and in the Creative Department at the home office, they had lost touch.

He watched her from the kitchen, the way she put her hands to her face to try to hide the fact that she was crying. He watched as her shoulders shuttered, as she tried to keep her sobs from getting out of hand. He wanted nothing more than to go to her and hold her, but he didn't know how. It had been too long since he was around to comfort her; he didn't know if his touching her would make it better or worse.

This was her father's plan, to keep them apart. He had been against their marriage from the beginning. Vince may not have been able to stop their love, but he could definitely put distance between them. Not only miles of distance, but endless storylines of him with other women, changing his room assignments so he would end up with Divas, strategically telling Stephanie where he would be so she would find him in the company of countless women. His marriage was falling apart just as Vince had wanted.

He rounded the table without touching her and returned to his seat. He looked over at her, shielding her face from his gaze. While no words he could find would comfort her, he had to find a way to reach her. "What's wrong?" The question came out as annoyance, but it wasn't that he was annoyed with her, it was with himself.

She looked up at him. He should know damn well what the problem was. Here they were seeing each other again for the first time in two months. Two months without seeing your spouse and they had managed to speak a total of two sentences to each other. There greeting was nothing more than a casual hello as they both entered the room, not a passionate kiss or a warm embrace as either of them had hoped.

Besides having marital woes, she was now faced with her father's demands to bring up ratings. How did he expect her to concentrate on work, when her world was crumbling around her? She had let the story lines lag on purpose, in hopes that Vince would replace her, so she could be with Hunter.

Despite her better judgment, she loved him. He was an arrogant asshole, but he was _her_ arrogant asshole. It was the cocky attitude that drew her in to begin with. Finally, she had met a man that was willing to stand up to her father; a man that didn't take no for an answer.

She looked at him through her tears. How could she tell him that she was so unhappy, how should she say that she wanted a divorce? "Work. Dad wants me to bring up the ratings. I've gotta go to OVW to try to find some new talent." It was better than the whole truth.

If he couldn't comfort her physically, the least he could do was make things better for her. Seeing her cry tore his heart out. "You should bring Dave back to Raw. That will drive up ratings."

She looked at her husband and smiled. After all this time, he still cared enough to try to help. He was good at that; fixing her problems for her. As long as the problem wasn't him, there wasn't anything he couldn't find a solution for. "Why?"

"Think about it. The whole DX thing didn't go over quite as we hoped, because Shawn's whole God thing. If we give the crowd what they want, an Evolution reunion, maybe that will be a bigger sell." His solution was not without selfish merit.

The look he had seen in Jeff Hardy's eyes that night with Chase reminded him of how he use to look at Stephanie. It hurt him to see someone that happy with the prospect of new love. He hated the fact that Jeff Hardy disregarded his warnings about Dave's daughter. It reminded him all too well of how things were before with him and Vince.

He had been cocky and fearless once too. He did everything in his power to defy Vince and fall in love with Stephanie and look where it got him; married to a woman he hardly knew anymore. No, he would not be miserable in love by himself. He had to make Jeff see that being with her was no good for him, just the way that someone should have made him see.

"It could work, but what about the other show. Dave's our top attraction there." Talking about business was the last thing she wanted to do, but at least now they were talking.

"Edge and Lita. Put them on Smackdown and bring up that whole feud with them and Matt and Ashley. That way those fans have something to sink their teeth into and we get Dave back. It's a win win situation." He was proud that he could come up with a solution so quickly. At least with Dave back, he could make sure that Hardy knew what he was getting himself into.

Stephanie smiled. It was the first time he had seen her smile in months. He reached across the table to take her hand. She withdrew it placing it on her lap. She couldn't let him touch her, because she knew what that would lead to. She had made up her mind; their marriage was going to end.

"I'm going to bed." She said standing up from the table. "I made up the guest room for you."

He turned and watched her walk up the stairs, wondering how he let his misery consume him. He poured himself another drink. "Fuck 'em all."

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Chase found Shannon amusing. He told her all of these stories about Jeff that made their hour trip seem like only minutes.

"So how long you known him?" She asked.

"Since I was 7. We played on the same baseball team together. I lived one county over from them, so I grew up with him and Matt." He turned the corner and headed up a long road. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that he was taking her to some deserted place to do lord knows what to her. There was so much wooded area that it looked like there wasn't another person around for miles. "Him and Matt live near their dad. It's kinda back a ways, but it's real cool. Wait 'til you see his house, it's sick!" Shannon laughed.

"You don't think he'll be mad do you? I mean I _am_ crashing his party and all." She said suddenly getting nervous about seeing him. Before it has just been them, but now she was going to see him with his friends. What if he was a dick to her around them?

"Hell no. He was so busy whining about having a party. All he kept sayin' was _I can't drink... I gotta watch everybody else have fun...I don't want a party_. He was gettin' on my fuckin' nerves." Shannon said shaking his head. "Here we are."

They stopped in front of a massive aluminum sculpture that housed a mailbox. "This is his house?" She asked in shock.

There was a large lawn that stretched for at least an acre covered in sculptures, a life size painting of him, statues and everything else under the rainbow. As they drove up the driveway, she noticed a kennel with several dogs inside. The kennel also had paneling and several murals. Finally past the statues of bakers, Charlie Chaplin and some other characters she couldn't name, she noticed the blue house in the back.

Shannon parked the car and helped Chase with her bag. "I'll take this inside, everyone else is around back." He was back in a few minutes and walked with Chase to Jeff's back yard.

Part of his yard held an ATV course, complete with bridges and jumps that Jeff had designed and decorated. Beyond the course there were woods and a bonfire. They walked for what seemed like an eternity when she finally heard the music and people laughing. As they started into the woods, there were pavilions, kegs of beer, a buffet table and people a plenty. Jeff had to have had a least 60 people at his party. She and Shannon scanned the crowd for him, then Shannon pointed.

Jeff was sitting at a table talking to a man that looked like an older version of him. She assumed that was his father. She and Shannon approached without making a sound.

"So when you turn that camera on, it's like that light is taking the memory. You don't even realize it, but that's a memory that you'll never get back." He told his father, who didn't have the faintest idea what Jeff was talking about.

"Hey old man." Shannon said smiling.

Jeff looked up and his mouth dropped. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked beautiful in a green and pink stripped polo shirt and denim skirt that landed in the middle of her thighs. The wind blew her waist length blonde hair, which she had left down. She looked so innocent, like an angel.

"That her?" His father asked.

Jeff nodded, he wanted to say something, but he couldn't find any words. He stood up and slowly walked over to her.

She smiled and her dimples made him blush. She reached out and hugged him tightly, closing her eyes. "Happy birthday." She whispered.

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Dave Batista stood in the airport with Britain, saying goodbye. She was on her way to England for three days for a fashion show. They stood wrapped in each other's arms, neither one wanting to be the first to let go. He was interrupted from whispering to her when his cell phone rang. "This is Dave." His voice instantly changing back to the firm professional tone, unlike the softer soothing one he was using only moments before in Britain's ear.

"Got some good news." Hunter said on the other end. He wanted to be the first to tell Dave. If his plan was going to work, he had to be the one in control.

"What's up? I'm in the middle of something." Dave pulled away from Britain and stuck his finger in his other ear to try to hear him.

Hunter smiled as he picked up a pen and started to doodle. "You're coming back to Raw. Steph needs you for the ratings."

A smile tickled Dave's face. He had always loved being on Raw. Having his matches taped live made him work hard, it kept him on top of his game. "You're shitting me...when?" He could hardly contain himself as he reached out and grabbed Britain's hand.

"Next Monday. Be ready to make your grand entrance...as Evolution Revisited." Hunter let out a chuckle. It would be good to have his friends back at his side.

"Evolution...how...why?" If Dave could have jumped up and down in the airport, he would have. Evolution had been the best time he'd had in the WWE. Traveling with his friends was almost as good as having Britain with him. At least now, he would have people to hang out with after the match. He had a few people he was close to on Smackdown, but nothing was better than having his best friends with him; especially Ric.

Hunter looked over at the notes he had written for the contract. He was going to give it to Stephanie in the morning and he knew she would agree. "I'll give you the details tomorrow. Steph will have everything over nighted to you. Just be ready to be in Denver by then." When he ended the call, he looked at the paper. He smiled when he saw what he had written: _Gotcha!_

Dave hugged Britain. "Evolution, huh? That means you'll be back with your _stupid_ friends again." She laughed and returned his hug. Seeing him happy is what she lived for. He was such a big child. "Just keep Hunter away from me. I don't want to have to kick his ass."

They both heard the call for her flight and he sighed. "This never gets easier...three days right?" He rubbed his hands down her arms.

She looked up at him, meeting his dark eyes. He mouthed the words, _I love you_, before kissing her softly and turning away. He could never watch her leave him. It hurt too much. It was only three days, but three days could be an eternity when you're in love.

"I love you too." She said loud enough to see him turn around and smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff and Chase danced and talked with his father before going into his house. "I want to see your art studio." She announced as he showed her every other room in the house.

He took her down to the basement and into a small room that was literally covered from floor to ceiling in photographs. There were magazine pictures of women in swim suits, some of just women's breasts, pictures of he and Matt, pictures from wrestling magazines; all kinds of pictures.

Chase walked in and looked around. She stopped in front of a centerfold from some skin magazine and looked at Jeff.

He blushed. "What? I _am_ a man." It was more of a statement of fact than a defense, but he couldn't stop blushing.

She walked over to him and stood in front of him for a moment. Without warning, she titled her head toward his, and he moved down to hers. She let her lips brush over his, softly. She felt his hands touch her face and only slowly drag down her neck until that hand grasped the back of her neck. She put her arm around his back and held him as he kissed her.

The kiss was agonizingly slow, only fueling the want in both of them. He tasted her lips with the tip of his tongue and was pleased when she opened her mouth to accept it. Her kiss was intoxicating. It was just as sweet as he thought it would be. His lips burned since that day she brushed them with hers in LA. He couldn't tell her that he had wanted to kiss her again; he had to let her do things on her own time. But this was more than he could ask for.

He heard a small moan escape her as he trailed one hand down her back and rested it on her backside. He felt her kiss intensify as he moved his hand lower, now touching her thigh as he slowly moved her skirt up. His hand touched the bare skin on the back of her thigh and left a trail of heat on her that scared her.

She pulled away from his kiss and looked at the floor. Although he knew that he had gone too far, he noticed a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry." He couldn't stand it if she was mad at him, but she was just so beautiful and he wanted her so much.

"Hey Jeff, people are startin' to leave. You need to say goodnight." Matt said walking into the studio. He saw how they were holding each other and was thankful he came when he did.

Jeff excused himself and went upstairs.

The way Matt looked at Chase made her uncomfortable. "You don't like me do you?" She held his gaze.

"I love my brother." He said walking further into the room and sitting on the couch. "Jeff's a great guy, but you don't know him, Chase. He went through hell to get here, and I don't want to see him go through that again."

Chase was confused. Why was being with her going to be hell for him?

"You don't see it do you? He's in love with you... I don't want to see him get hurt. Because if he does, I don't know what it'll do." He looked over at her. She had no idea. "Jeff doesn't handle things real well. Like when our mom died, he all into these extreme sports. It was like he was tryin' to kill himself too. I started just so I could watch out for him, but I never did it as hard as he did. Then when my dad got sick and I left college to take care of him, he started drinkin'." He rubbed the side of his face. "He had a few setbacks with the WWE and that's when he started takin' pills. He don't need no more setbacks. He can't take it."

Chase walked over and sat next to Matt. "Why would I be a setback?"

"Because of who you are...who your dad is. Jeff don't back down from nothin'. But if _you_ ain't strong enough to stand up to your father, then leave him alone. Because once you cave, his world is gonna come crashin' down." Matt shook his head. This little girl had no idea what could happen if she decided she was tired of Jeff. He'd come too far to let her or anyone else take Jeff back down that path he was once headed.

"I really don't think it's as bad as you think. We're friends Matt." She tried to sound convincing. She wanted to be more than friends with Jeff too, but right now that's what they had to settle for.

"You don't see how he is when he talks about you or how he smiles when he's on his damn computer with you. He's in love." Matt sighed. He had tried to prevent this from happening, but it was bigger than him.

"He is?" Was she that naive? How come she couldn't see love when it was right in her face. "I mean I know how I feel about him, but I never thought that he would feel that way about me. I mean, you said it yourself, look who my dad is."

"The challenge is what he likes the most, I think. The fact that he's not supposed to have you makes him want you more. If you care about him at all, you'll end it now before he gets in too deep." Matt looked up at Jeff who was standing in the doorway.

"Jesus, Matt. You don't know shit about me and Chase. You need to mind your damn business." Jeff snapped.

Matt stood up and walked to Jeff. "Just lookin' out for you Jeffro. Like I always do."

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"Chase?" Jeff ducked his head out behind a tree, with his gun held by his side. "I know you're around here."

Chase crouched low to the ground, crawling on her stomach, her heart racing. She could see him from where was lay, but she couldn't make a sound.

"I'm gonna find you Chase. And when I do..." He turned toward the sound of breaking branches.

She had a choice to make; kill or be killed. She titled her gun up and cocked it. The sound made Jeff turn around. Before she knew what happened, a sharp pain hit her leg.

"Bang, you're dead" He smiled blowing his gun.

"Damn it." She laughed rubbing her leg, bringing her hand up to see the purple paint. "I didn't think paintballs would sting so bad."

He walked over to her and helped her up. He put her arm around his shoulder and walked her back to his porch. "The object is not to get hit at all." He pointed to her overalls that were now decorated with the purple, green and red paint. "Looks like Matt and Shannon got you pretty good too."

She laughed. She had never been good at things like this. She spent more time hiding than trying to find her targets. Now she was covered in paint and her leg was starting to bruise.

"We're goin' to Shannon's to go swimmin'. You comin'?" Matt asked taking off his goggles.

Jeff declined. He wanted to spend some time with Chase before she left. She would be leaving soon and he didn't want to have to share her with anyone.

With Matt and Shannon gone, he helped her into his house.

He sat on the couch with an ice pack, waiting for Chase to come back downstairs from changing her clothes. "Let me look at your leg." He said to her when she returned.

She sat next to him and put her leg over his. A small blue bruise was starting to develop in the spot that he had shot her. He put the ice pack on her and sat quietly. "Thanks. I think it looks worse than it is." She said leaning back on the couch and closing her eyes.

Just seeing her sitting, with her leg on him, her bare foot resting comfortably in his hand, he couldn't resist the urge to touch her. He let his hand slowly move from the ice pack, causing it to fall on the floor. He trailed his hand up her smooth leg, to her thigh, then he leaned over and kissed her.

Her breath caught in her throat as he touched her. A trail of heat was left in the wake of his warm fingers. His kiss was gentle, barely touching her lips. She wanted to taste more of his mouth. She wrapped her hands in his hair and pulled him in deeper.

He couldn't stop himself from adjusting on the couch so that he now lay on top of her. His hands slowly moved up her sides. He broke the kiss and looked at her lips, he dipped his head lower and kissed her throat taking the time to leave a trail of wetness as he moved over to her neck. Involuntarily, he settled his pelvis between her thighs which he had nudged open with his knee.

She could feel his length, hard and firm against her thigh, as he slowly grinded into her leg. "Jeff..." Her voice was gone; it had been overtaken by the heavy breathing caused by her racing heart. "Please... stop." Although she barely heard herself, he heard her loud and clear.

He looked up at her wide blue eyes, so full of want and something more...fear. "I ca..."

He placed his finger over her lips to silence her. "You don't have to do anythin' you don't wanna do." His whisper was soothing. Did she know what she was doing to him? He never wanted anybody so badly in his life. "I wanna be with you Chase...but when you're ready. I want your first time to be special."

She held his face in her hands. "I'm sorry." She felt stupid, here she had done all of this sneaking around to see him, relentless flirting with him over the phone and web-cam; and now when it came to it, she couldn't do it. Not that she didn't want to, but she really didn't see her first time being on his couch. She had imagined it differently; romantic words and candles.

"Don't be. I'll wait...I'll wait as long you need me to." His smile was genuine. He wanted to tell her right then that he loved her, but this was already too much for her. He pushed his feelings aside and sat up.

She could see that his breath was still ragged, by the way his chest moved up and down. She watched as he put his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. _He's trying to get it back down_ she told herself. She was excited at the thought that she could make him feel that way. She sat up next to him and smiled when he rolled his head and barely opened his eyes at her. She played with her bottom lip. "Jeff?" She turned to face him.

He noticed the determined look in her eye; how her eyebrows came together in question. "Hmm?" His breathing was slowly coming back to normal.

"Can I...can I touch it?" She knew she sounded juvenile, but she had never seen, much less touched a man's groin before. If she was going to sleep with him, then why shouldn't she see what exactly she was in store for? She looked at him half expecting him to be in shock or pissed because she was teasing him. But he didn't look like that, his face still held the same look of defeat but he let a small smirk cross his face as he nodded.

She reached over and put her hand on his thigh. She slowly moved her hand up to feel the tip of his length through his cotton pants. She let her fingers roam down his length until she touched his body. She could judge by touching him, just how long it was, but not how big. His pants prevented her from _feeling_ all of him. She swallowed hard and trailed her hands up to his stomach.

He watched her face as she tried to study him. The feeling of her hand on his bare stomach made his groin jump. He hooked his thumb in his waistband and held it out for her. He wasn't going to force her to touch him, although he wanted her to. He closed his eyes and left that up to her.

She slid her hand down his stomach until she felt soft curls beneath it. Her fingers touched the base and slowly made there way back up to the top. She wrapped her hand around his length and gently started to move her hand. She stopped when she heard him gasp. "Am I doing it wrong?" She asked half panicked. She didn't know what she was doing, but she had heard enough of her friends talk about hand jobs that she guessed this was how it worked.

"No." He said trying to catch is breath. "You sure you wanna do that?" His voice was thick with want and need for her to continue.

She kissed his neck and made her way to his ear, while still gently stroking him. "Show me how to do this." She whispered against his ear.

He turned his head to kiss her. His kiss caused her to grip him tighter. He put his hand in his pants and met hers. He wrapped his hand over hers and moved it along his length, urging her to grip him even tighter. His hand moved faster as his hips started to buck against their hands.

She disengaged from his kissed and looked at his crotch. She could see their hands moving from the outside of his pants, but she could not bring herself to look inside to look at _him._ His grip on her hand loosened and she let it travel down to feel what lay beneath. She felt the soft hair on his testicles as she curiously cupped them in her hand. His moan, made her release them.

Hurriedly, he put her hand back on his length. He looked down in his pants to see her small hand stroking him. The feeling of her squeezing him brought him close. He wanted, he needed, he _had_ to release it. "Mmmm." He whined, his breathing was more hurried then ever. He reached for the back of her neck with his other hand and pulled her in for a harsh kiss. "Chase...I'm gonna...oh shit...I can't...Chase..." He squeaked out as his orgasm hit. His body jerked with each release.

She felt it on her hand; hot and sticky. She watched in amazement as his body, moved on its own dumping his essence out of him. When he was finished, she continued to hold it, lightly rubbing her thumb against the head. She noticed, he was not softening. "Why won't it go down? I didn't do it right?" She looked into his eyes for some sign of approval.

"You did it right." His breathing was still deep, but evening out. "It won't go down because...I want you. I want more than your hand on me." He turned his head away from her. He didn't want to ruin what just happened by saying to much to her. He couldn't tell her that he wanted to strip her clothes off and take her right there in the living room and he certainly couldn't tell her that he wanted her to put her mouth where her hand was.

She removed her hand from his pants and looked at it; it still glistened from him. She watched him get up silently and go to the kitchen. She waited for him as he came back with a wet paper towel. He knelt before her and wiped her hand clean. He put her hand over his lips and kissed it. "You have the most amazin' hands." He smiled kissing her palm again.

She smiled too. She was pleased; she had made him feel that way and she brought him to release afterward. She wondered if it was as amazing to him as it had been for her to watch. "I promise I won't make you wait much longer." She heard herself say as she stroked the hair on his head that rested on her lap.

"I'll wait as long as you need." He said pulling her close.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The ride back to the airport had been a silent one. Chase had pretended that she was asleep while Jeff drove. Neither of them could let the thought of what had happened go.

Jeff thought a lot about it as he drove. _Maybe I should leave her alone. Maybe this is all too much for her. But I can't, I care too much about her. But then again, her father's gonna have fuckin' cow, if he finds out. But, fuck him. She's an adult, if she wants to be with me, then I'll be with her; with or without his approval._

_I just wish she would talk to me. I didn't mean for things to go that far; she's so just beautiful. Damn Nero, you should have controlled yourself. You don't know when the next time you'll see her again and you had to go fuck it up. _

He heard Chase stir in her seat and looked over at her.

Her head was still turned toward the window. She hadn't looked at him since they left his living room. It didn't help that he hadn't talked to her either. She couldn't get the words he said out of her head. '_I want more than your hands on me.' _She didn't know if he was mad because she was teasing him; not that she meant to. She just wanted to give him some kind of pleasure, even if she couldn't actually have sex with him.

But he didn't seem mad when he held her and told her he'd wait. That was a good sign, right? It implied that he still wanted to see her. And he didn't seem like the kind of guy that she found John to be. He didn't make empty promises. Every time he said he would call her, he did. Every time he agreed to meet her, he did. But that was before this. Now that sex was thrown into the kitty, was he going to change? _'He's just trying to get in your pants' _she heard her dad's voice say. What if he were right? What if she did it and he changed? That would break her heart. She couldn't chance it, she liked him entirely too much.

Before she had the chance to say anything to him, she felt the car stop. She kept her eyes closed because she didn't want to look at him. She felt his hand gently touch the side of her face.

"We're here." His soft voice and warm hand made her smile inside. He smiled when she turned her head and looked at him. He looked down at the gear shift, but never moved his hand from her face. "Chase? I didn't mean for that to happen. I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with." He couldn't look at her. His eyes were going to tell her too much.

"I didn't do anything I didn't want to. I'm glad it went as far as it did. If it went further, then that might be a different story. Besides, I asked you and you were just probably being polite..." His laughter interrupted her rant. "Sorry." She said looking down at her lap.

"Why're you nervous?" He asked looking back up at her.

She thought of how she should phrase it. "If I have sex with you, are you going to change? I mean, I don't want you to. But there's a part of me that feels like if I do it, if _we_ do it, then you're not going to like me anymore." She couldn't read his face; shock, disgust maybe? He didn't interrupt her, he let her finish. "I saw the way John treated that woman he was with; he made all these empty promises to her and laughed about it when she was gone. I don't want that to happen. I know that you're probably taking this way slower than you've ever taken it before and I appreciate that… I really do. But I just need to be sure, because I really like you. I never felt like this before...and if you don't stop me from talking I'm going to keep on and say something that will either really embarrass me or I'm going to turn you off from me completely."

He smiled. All he could do was lean over and kiss her. He pressed his forehead to hers and spoke into her mouth. "I thought you knew me better than that." He pulled back and looked at her beautiful face, so full of hope. He tucked the strands of blonde hair on her face behind her ear. "Do you really think I would be takin' my time with you, if all I wanted was sex? I've had plenty of sex before, but I wanna make love to you. There's a big difference. I don't want to ruin this by goin' too fast."

"I asked you before, what _is _this?" She couldn't figure it out. Were they dating, going out, what? She was a person that dealt in definites, she liked things to be clearly defined for her. Must be the scholar in her; there was no grey area.

He sighed. Boy was she hard to understand. But he knew he had to be careful with her. "What do you want _this_ to be?" Maybe giving her the option to decide would put her mind at ease.

"I want you to be my boyfriend, I guess. Do they even call it that anymore? God, this is stupid." She turned in her seat and looked him square in the eye. "I want to be in a relationship with you. I don't want to have to guess if you're sleeping with someone else or if you're going to call me because you've found someone that you like better. And I don't want you to be with me because you're still pissed at my dad. I want you to be with me because you want to be with me." She nodded her head to signal she was done.

He put his hand out toward her. "Done." She shook his hand and smiled.

"So do we get to walk with our hands in each other's back pockets?" He joked. Why was it so hard for her to trust him? Maybe now she would know that he was serious about her. "Can we kiss?" He smiled leaning in toward her.

"Definitely." She touched his face as he kissed her.

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Hunter made sure to pick the seat directly across from Jeff Hardy at the staff meeting. He watched as his wife handed out the new scripts, story lines and assignments. Everyone on Raw, hated these meetings, but they only had them every other month.

"We're making a little change to the roster." Everyone turned to look at Stephanie, setting their papers aside. "To start, Adam and Amy, you'll be going to Smackdown. We're going to create a feud between you two and Matt and Ashley."

Hunter watched as Adam's face turned red. "Didn't we do that already? This is bullshit. We're all finally getting to the point were we can speak to each other and you want to drag this shit up again?" Adam looked over at Hunter and closed his mouth. He noticed the glare he was getting and for a split second he hadn't realized he had raised his voice at Hunter's wife.

"Who we gettin'?" John asked, looking at the notes on his pages.

Stephanie smiled at Hunter. "Dave Batista. He's coming back, and we're reforming Evolution."

Hunter looked over at Jeff, who was sinking into his chair. _Fuck_ he watched Jeff's mouth move and couldn't help but to smile. This was going to work out better than he planned. If Jeff was that upset, that could only mean one thing...he hadn't left Chase alone. Everything was falling right into place.

"Aw, shit. GQ's comin' back? Hell yeah." John said slapping hands with Randy. It would be good to have the team back together.

"But there's a catch. You and he will be battling for _your _title." She said to John. He didn't seem to care. He knew his contracted time with the belt was almost up. And if he had to lose it to someone, he was glad it would be Dave. Plus that meant that John would still be in a prominent story line, especially since his current story would be ending with Edge going to Smackdown.

"When does this all happen?" Amy asked, sitting back in her chair.

"This Monday." Stephanie responded. "Now, that that's out of the way, I'd like to go over some other things with you."

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Jeff looked across the table at Hunter whose smile made him sick. _That bastard's fuckin' enjoyin' this._ No matter how nervous he was about the prospect of Dave's return, he refused to let Hunter see that he was worried. He could hardly concentrate on anything that Stephanie was saying, because he was in a Mexican standoff of the eyes with Hunter.

He noticed everyone else getting up, he assumed they were done. He collected his papers and started out of the room. His phone had been vibrating on his hip during the entire meeting. He checked his missed calls log and saw that it was Chase.

He rounded the corner, making sure no one else was around before he called her back. He leaned against the hospital white wall listening to the phone ring in his ear.

"Hey." He said when he heard her voice. Somehow just hearing her voice made all of the uneasiness of Dave's return and Hunter's glare go away.

"Jeff. Have you seen Scraps?" She had tried to remain calm. But in the midst of her packing, she hadn't been able to locate him.

"Scraps? What's that?" Jeff asked sliding down the wall, to sit on the overly polished floor.

"My stuffed dog. I always have him. I had him when I was at your house." Her voice started to panic as she tore through the suitcase she just packed.

Hunter rounded the corner, but halted when he spotted Jeff sitting on the floor talking on his phone.

"Did you have it in the guest room?" He tried to remember if he had remembered seeing the dog. He had slept in that room the night that Chase left, just because the bed smelled like her.

"Yes, but I thought I packed him with my other stuff." She said almost in tears.

Jeff closed his eyes and tried not to smile. He could tell she was upset, but it was a stuffed dog. It must have meant a great deal to her, or she wouldn't be so upset. "Calm down baby. I'll check when I get home." He sucked in his laughter and looked down the hall when he saw Randy walk past him. Randy nodded and Jeff nodded back. "Chase?" He said once Randy was out of earshot, "Did you know your father's coming back to Raw?"

She almost dropped the phone. "What! Why?" She couldn't get the words to formulate. How could he be coming back? He was going to ruin everything that they were starting to build.

"I don't know. I think Hunter's got somethin' to do with it." He sighed. He could kill Hunter.

Chase panicked. "What are going to do now? My dad will never let me see you. I thought it was going to be easier, when I got to school. But now..."

Jeff sat upright. He was not going to let Hunter or Dave stop him from seeing Chase, no matter what they tried. "Don't worry about it. We'll be ok. We'll just be careful, until he understands how we feel about each other." He wanted her to believe his words, even if he didn't.

His voice was so calm, it soothed her immediately. "Look, I gotta go. My dad's here. Can you call me if you find Scraps?" She tried to whisper, because Dave was coming into her room to get more bags for the truck.

"If I find it, I'll bring it with me when I come out on Friday. Have a safe flight." He smiled at the prospect of seeing her again. He knew that he only had two days until he saw her and he couldn't wait. He would have the whole weekend with her to do whatever they wanted, without the fear of getting caught by Dave.

"I'll see you then." She said trying to hurry. She hung up the phone without hearing him say goodbye.

Hunter smiled as he walked up to Jeff, his shoes squeaking on the floor with every heavy step he took. "Hey Rainbow." He voice was sugary sweet almost like you would use with a child when you wanted to win their affection. Jeff knew right away that he was up to no good. "Any interesting phone calls lately?"

Jeff stood up, and looked Hunter in the eye. "You gotta problem?" He asked seeing John walk up behind Hunter. _Great, now there's two of them._

Hunter smiled again and let a slight laughter touch his voice. "No, no problem at all." He turned and walked down the hall. "But _you _will." He said turning around laughing and wagging his eyebrows.

Jeff stared at John, who stared back at him. "Yo. I don't know what's up, but don't fuck with Hunt. He can get crazy sometimes." He patted Jeff on the shoulder and walked away.

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"I love you." Maddy said hugging her sister. "Have fun and say hi to Jeff." She whispered before she kissed her on the cheek.

Chase was sad to go, but she knew she had to. She had said goodbye to her mom, who was crying in the kitchen and even got a hug from Alli. She turned toward the door to see Dave waiting for her in the truck. She looked back at her sister and peered over at her mother with tears freely flowing.

"I love you. I'll call you when I get there." She said putting on a brave face. Emily began to sob and Chase went over to her. "I'll be home for Thanksgiving, Mom. I'll be fine. You've done this before remember?"

She hugged her mom again and walked out of the door.

As she got in the Suburban, she noticed Dave's face. "You ready?" He asked. He had told himself he would do without getting emotional. All he had to do was go with her and help her with her boxes, then he would be back home and so would Britain and he could sulk then.

"When will my car be there?" She asked latching her seat belt.

She loved her car and was upset that he wouldn't let her drive to school by herself. It had been her birthday present from the year before, a 2005 black BMW 330ci convertible. Granted it was a little much for a then nineteen year old, but it also doubled as a gift for making valedictorian of her graduating class. _"That's a 38 hour trip. You are not making that drive by yourself. We'll fly and I'll have the car flown out later." He had told her after listening to her whine about how she had to have a car in LA._

"Monday." He said turning on the ignition.

_I can do this._ He said as he pulled out of the driveway.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Melody. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 15**

Dave Batista sighed heavily as he hugged his oldest daughter. It was time for him to leave. He had moved the last of her boxes into her new apartment, taken her and her roommates out for dinner, told her the rules of the house and now he was just plain scared to go.

"Daddy, I'll be fine." She said hugging him back. She heard him sniffle; she knew he was going to cry. She hated when he did that. Her father was always a strong man, but he wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn't like any other wrestler she knew, he cried, he laughed, he was silly and when it came right down to it, he would play dress up and princesses with her and her sisters.

He remembered when she was 10 and she wanted go shopping with her friends instead of putting ribbons in his hair. "_But you always like to get me all gussied up." He had told her with tears in his eyes._ That was the first time he realized that he would not always be the most important thing in her life.

He looked at his daughter as he tried to fight back the tears. "I know you will. You're a smart girl, I just don't know if I trust them." He motioned his head toward Sherry and Cassie, her two, overly eager, boy crazy roommates. He smiled at the girls and winked, causing both Sherry and Cassie to shutter at his sexiness. "You two take care of my baby... and get some studying done." He turned back to Chase and kissed her on her forehead.

"I love you Daddy. I promise I'll call Mr. Weis or Croix if anything happens." She led him to the door. If she didn't kick him out he would never leave, and he had to go! Jeff was coming by the next day to help her unpack. He had the weekend off and they could finally see each other.

"Oh, this is from Britain, it's a house warming gift." He handed her the gift wrapped box. "She should be out here on Saturday and I'll be back this way in two weeks. We have a show in Anaheim." He grabbed the door handle, but couldn't force himself to turn it. He turned and hugged her again.

"Daddy, you don't have to keep having everyone check up on me. I'm a big girl." She flashed her dimples at him, making his heart sink.

He had to go, or he was going to pack her back up and take her home with him. _I know. That's what I'm afraid of._ He waved to her roommates and touched her face just as he opened the door. He stepped out into the dark LA night ready to cry on the phone to Britain as soon as he got to the hotel.

She watched her father walk down the stairs to his car with his head down. She turned around to her friends who were standing in the living room and they huddled around her to see her gift. She opened the box and laughed. It was a condom tree; a plastic green tree on a stand that had all kinds of brands, colors, flavors, sizes, types and textured condoms on it. She read the note_ Have fun and be safe. Call me if you need to talk. B. _The three girls all jumped up and down and started screaming at the same time.

Dave heard the girls carrying on through their opened window and couldn't help but to smile at the thought of them; three 20 year olds, alone in their own home for the first time. It should be exciting and he should be excited for her; but he couldn't be.

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Britain drank her hot chocolate as she listened to Dave go on and on about Chase. "Davey, really. You're worse than Emily right now." It was too early in the morning to listen to this. She had been up since 5am, doing fittings and getting hair and make up done. The chairs at London Fog weren't exactly comfortable either and they wouldn't let her eat. She wasn't having a great morning.

"I know. But she's my baby." He had really hoped that Britain would have been a little more understanding than she was being right now. He needed her to tell him that he was right to be worried and that everything would be alright. Although he knew he stood no chance in hell of that happening. Britain's father had let her go without protest. She was seventeen when she got her first contract with the Ford agency. At seventeen, she was traveling around the world, dressing up in clothes that were way too mature for her, becoming the desire of men everywhere. But Johan didn't protest, because that wasn't his style. Plus, he knew his daughter and she was too headstrong to let him or anyone else stop her.

Britain laughed. "I hate to tell you this, but she's twenty; she's a grown up. God, what are you going to do when she gets married?

"She won't...not if I have anything to do with it."

Britain felt herself frown. "Why don't you get all worked up over me like that? I'm the one walking around half naked most of the time. You should be worried about _my_ virtue." She heard his laughter from the other side of the phone. If there hadn't been an ocean separating them, she would have popped him upside the head.

"Your virtue was gone a long time ago." He laughed again when he heard her gasp. "Think about it. If _your_ virtue was still intact, then you wouldn't have let me do that thing right before you left and _you_ wouldn't have..."

"Ok, I get the picture. And if you keep it up I won't be doing it again anytime soon." She softened her voice, remembering that night that involved chocolate sauce, French ticklers and batteries. "Who would have thought magnetic tongue rings could vibrate?" She laughed at the thought.

"I'll see you tomorrow right?" He asked turning out his lamp. It was late in LA and he needed to get some sleep before his flight back home. He felt bad because her schedule was so tight. She was going from London to Tampa for a day, then to LA to see her parents, before meeting him in Denver. She always made time to see him, even if she didn't have any. He would have made more of an attempt to be where she was, but he had to divide his time with his girls that he didn't see enough of anyway.

"Yup. I should be in by 1. And I want a massage. My ass is killing me in these damn chairs. I swear, the English must all have flat asses." She said looking at the makeup guy that was coming toward her _again._ "I have to go. They're trying to cake more of this shit on my face." She never wore makeup unless she was working. He loved that about her, she was naturally beautiful.

"Have a good show. Don't fall off the runway or anything."

She pushed the image out of her head, regretting she had ever told him about that being a fear of hers. "Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you more."

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Jeff and Chase kissed softly, enjoying the sweet warmth of each others lips. With the gentle caress of his tongue, he encouraged her to open wider, so he could taste her intoxicating mouth. Their tongues touched barely as he took her bottom lip into his mouth.

"I should go." He said softly, against his is instinct to stay and finish what they started. Chase's eyes were too blue, too wanting. He knew he had to leave before he did something that he could never take back.

He had come by to help her unpack, that was until she wanted to go to dinner and then to the park. They ended up at her apartment, but started kissing when he helped her put away her clothes. He had found her underwear and held them up inspecting them. He smiled thinking about her wearing them. She had tried to snatch them out of his hand, but he caught her arm and pulled her close to him. He had to kiss her, he just had to.

"I don't want you to go." She whispered against his lips, gently taking her tongue across his top lip. It was now or never. She was ready; so what if there weren't candles all around the room, just being there with him was enough for her. He had taken the time to come see her, he brought Scraps back to her, he was intent on helping her, he had been such a gentleman with her. She wanted him; she wanted him now.

Jeff returned her kiss, cupping her face between his hands. With his body aching to touch her; Chase pulled him closer. "I want you, Chase…" his whispering voice quivered, "if I stay, I don't think I can keep bein' a Southern gentleman."

"I want you to stay the night with me." She said noticing the deep green color that was in his eyes. She closed her own eyes against his breath on her lips. She wanted him to kiss her again, to take her in his arms and make her his; forever.

He captured her lips again. This is what he wanted since the first time he laid eyes on her; to be with her in every sense of the word. He'd dreamt about it, but he needed to make sure this is really what she wanted. "Are you sure?" He asked pressing his forehead against hers, his lips were ready to pounce on her at any minute.

"I want you to stay... I want you to make love to me." She had finally said it. Her mouth finally could form the words that her heart had been telling her for weeks. She whispered touching her nose to his; sucking him his jagged breaths.

"I'll be careful with you..." He started, brushing his lips against hers, "so careful."

The kiss that followed was so passionate and pure that they could write fairytales about it. She could taste his lips as he slowly moved his tongue to the inside of her mouth. Their lips fit together so perfectly, it was as if the angels created her are solely for his.

As she reached under his shirt and moved her hands up his stomach, he flinched; partly from the soft tickle of her fingers and partly from anticipation. He allowed her to lift his shirt over his head. He stood back as she watched her hands trail slowly up his muscular chest. Her fingers gently touched the fine blonde hairs on his chest stopping just at his shoulders. "Are you sure?" He asked her again, his voice was so deep and wanting, it made her heart stop. She nodded and it sent chills up his spine.

Her hands trailed down his arms as she slowly kissed his chest. His soft moans alerted her that he was enjoying the feel of her mouth on him. She rested her hands on his waistband of his shorts and looked up at him for approval. He didn't move or say a word; but the smoldering emerald of his eyes said it all for him.

She held her breath as she unbuttoned his shorts and with her fingers crooked in the waistband of his boxer briefs, she slowly pulled them down.

He stood before her completely naked. He marveled at the sight of her, looking at a naked man for the first time. He watched as her eyes grew big, staring at his body. He could sense the fear and anticipation in her; he reached out for her hand. Gently, he placed her hand on his stomach and closed his eyes as she let her fingers trail down his navel and onto his throbbing length.

Chase could not believe that it had finally come to this. All these weeks of wanting Jeff, needing to hear that Southern drawl, aching to touch him, was finally here. She slowly touched him, remembering how he had felt in her hand. "I want this... I want you." She whispered as he kissed her again.

He moved from her lips and kissed her cheek, followed by her neck. As his tongue slowly moved over to her shoulder, he gently pushed down the straps of her camisole. He let the delicate satin fabric slide off her breasts and land in a soft pile at her feet. Without looking at her, he unbuttoned the side of her black wrap skirt and let it fall to the floor. He pulled her closer and kissed her lips.

He could feel her hardened nipples against his chest as he lost himself in her eyes. He gently felt her cotton panties, and with the slightest pressure, he pulled them from her hips. He had to look at her. He needed to see what an angel looked like, completely void of clothes. He stepped back and drank in the utter beauty that was simply, Chase. The soft light from the small lamp on her night stand, created the most amazing shadows across her body. Every curve was defined, every part of her soft skin glowed. The cream colored room, only enhanced her tanned skin as his eyes swept every part of her.

She felt her cheeks flush as he gazed at her. Self-conscious in her nudity she covered her bare breasts with her arm. She held out her hand and walked him toward her bed.

He let her lead him; he would have followed her anywhere. But he stopped at the full length mirror which had yet to be mounted to the wall. He stood behind her and gently moved her arm away from her breasts. "Look at us." He whispered as he kissed her ear. "We were made for each other."

She turned away from the image and leaned her head back to kiss him.

He had to show her how beautiful she was. "Look at yourself, Chase." He said as his voice dripped Southern comfort. He ran his fingertips down her arms and threaded his fingers with hers. He slowly brought her hands up with his and put them around his neck.

"Look at how beautiful you are. You're perfect, Chase. Everything about you is perfect." He whispered letting his hands trail down her naked flesh. He heard her moan as he cupped her breast with one hand and let the other trail down her stomach. "I wanna make love to you." He bent down and caught the back of her knees with is forearm, lifting her off the floor.

She let him carry her to the bed, to which he laid her in the middle of. His newly dye-free dark blonde hair tickled her face as he hovered kissing her. She gently put her hands on the side of his face to hold back the hair and to look him. She had to see his face; to assure her that this was right. She felt him kiss her neck slowly and trail his kisses to her throat.

She felt her breath catch as his mouth made contact with her breast and his tongue slowly swirled around her pink nipple, forcing it to a hardened peak. With his hand he imitated the movements his mouth made on the other breast, causing her to lift her back off the bed.

Her body had responded on its own to his touch. She was so in shock that she was content just to lay there and let him do whatever he wanted, but her body had other ideas. She held onto his arms as he kissed her breasts, not noticing the small moans escaping her lips.

Jeff took his time. He let his kisses lazily trail down her stomach and onto her navel. His tongue gently traced the tiara tattooed on her pelvis as he carefully parted her legs with has arm. He laid on the bed between her legs and place both thighs over his shoulders, allowing her feet to remain on the bed. Looking at her as he opened her, he kissed the very apex of her femininity as though he were kissing her mouth.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do. She had never experienced _anything_ like this in her life. She didn't know whether to watch him, or close her eyes; whether to touch him or just be still. All she knew is she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Jeff saw the expression on her face and smiled. He reached one hand up and held her hand tightly, while he guided her other hand to his cheek. "I won't hurt you." He whispered, taking her in his mouth again, gently using his fingers to prepare her for him.

The sweet torture of his tongue and the feel of his fingers was overwhelming. She felt a warmth start at her core and spread down her legs and into her toes. The warmth traveled back up to her stomach, into her breasts and could be seen on her now red cheeks. Before she knew what happened, the warmth seared through her body and a powerful electrical current replaced it, causing her to lift of the bed. She let out a cry and squeezed his hand tightly as her body erupted in soft spasms.

Jeff kissed his way back up her body, resting on his elbows to look at her face. She could feel his length, hard and viral, on her. "Did I...was that...?" She couldn't get the words to come out right.

He smiled and nodded before kissing her again. While he enjoyed her tongue running over his lips, he reached over to the condom tree that she placed next to her bed and pulled one off. He had never really enjoyed using condoms before, but he respected her enough to do so. He wanted this night to be as perfect as she was; there was no room for error and no place for regrets.

He positioned himself between her legs and slowly started to descend into her. She gasped at the feeling of him starting to invade her body, forcing her to dig her fingers into his chest. He found resistance from the layer of skin that was made for the sole purpose of keeping her innocence.

He rubbed his fingers over her dimpled cheek. "This is gonna hurt a little. But I promise I'll make feel better soon." His voice was just above a whisper.

She touched his face. "I trust you."

"Ready?" He asked her, clasping his hands against hers. She nodded in approval.

With one solid thrust, Jeff broke through her ring of resistance and seated himself deep within her. The shock and pain was enough to take her breath away. She laid there unable to move, or scream, until his deep kiss brought her back to the time and place were he was. He moved slowly, circling his hips. Although his instinct was to pump into her hard and fast, he held off, barely moving allowing her time to adjust to his girth.

This is how what he wanted her. There was a sense of possessiveness and protectiveness in him that allowed him to enjoy being the first man to ever make love to her. She was his and he was hers, and no one could take that away from him. No matter what happened after that, he would always know that he was the first.

Chase gripped his hands tightly, and suddenly she noticed that her grip was lessening. She felt her hips gently move with his, her hands caress his back, and the warm satisfaction of Jeff's body inside of her.

He watched her face twist from pain to pleasure as he comfortably moved in and out of her extremely tight warmth. He brought her hand between them, and they both touched her slowly to bring forth another orgasm.

She felt the warmth engulf her again and without warning the blinding climax made her call out his name. Her release along with the gentle massage of her inner cavity, forced his own to spill out of him. If he could have died right then it would have been fine, but, that would mean never having the privilege of making love to her again.

"I love you." He said as he kissed her softly.

Her heart almost leaped out her mouth. She looked into his green eyes. "I love you, too." She tried to keep from crying. She had finally found someone that wanted her, accepted her, that didn't want her to live up to their image of her.

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His appetite for her was unstoppable. That one time would be never be enough. He made love to her repeatedly, amongst all of the boxes, unpacked bags and the general clutter of her new room; neither of them noticing anything but the feel of each other. He was determined to show Chase he loved her, and to teach her the many different kinds of pleasure that making love in different positions could bring.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Britain arrived at the cottage house in Denver on Saturday; a little after 6pm. Dave had rented the place, so they could have a romantic get away for their anniversary, before his big return to Raw.

"This is beautiful!" She walked out onto the balcony that had a perfect view of the Rocky Mountains. Wonderful rock formations and trees lined the path down to the Jacuzzi covered in trails of jasmine and honey suckles.

"I thought we could have dinner out here tonight." He said walking up to her. Finally he was relaxed enough to do something special for their anniversary. Chase was happy on her own and his career was moving up; he had a lot to celebrate.

She turned around and kissed him softly. "Who's cooking?" She was _not_ in the mood for one of his cooking creations. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend and the last thing either of them needed right now was, food poisoning.

"I've already taken care of that. It should be delivered soon." He led her back into the house, "And, I ran you a bath and it's in there waiting for you." He leaned in close to her ear, "Dinner should be done by the time you get out."

"Who are you and what have you done with my Davey?" She touched the back of her hand to his forehead to check for fever. The gesture made him laugh.

He took her hand away. "You use to like it when I did romantic things." He use to always go out of his way to make her feel special; but like most men he stopped. She really didn't mind, she was never really into that mushy stuff anyway.

"That's because I was playing hard to get." She smiled. "I had to make you work for sex."

"Well...I worked _really, really_ hard today." He bit his lip before kissing her quickly. "Go take your bath. Relax. I have everything under control."

She walked through the pale yellow and white house and into the bedroom. There was a king size pillow top bed, with fluffy white blankets and mountain of pillows. The room itself was a soft baby yellow, with white trim and three ceiling fans on each side of the slanted ceiling. There was a white dresser, full length mirrors and a white gliding chair that was big enough to fit both of them. The room was cozy, a little girly for him, but she knew he picked it because she would like it.

She looked over the room, before noticing a box that sat on by the pillows on the bed. She walked over to the box and looked at the card. _Babe, I thought you would look beautiful in this. Wear it after your bath. Dave_

She smiled and opened the gift. Inside she found a beautiful white silk nightgown and robe. It was short, especially for her height and build; holding it up against her body, she noticed that it would only come to the top of her thighs and would probably ride up in the back; the robe wasn't much longer. She couldn't help but to smile. He was horrible at picking out clothes for her, especially lingerie. He always liked things that were way to small or just plain slutty. If she had been about 3 inches shorter, this would have been perfect; but, it was too late now. She was going to wear it, because he asked her to.

She took her gift into the bathroom. "Awe, Dave." She whined at the sight.

There was a large claw foot tub that sat in the middle of the room, filled to the top with bubbles. There were candles on every surface of the bathroom, spilling out her favorite scent; vanilla. There was an Enigma CD playing softly in the room, creating a tranquil feel. She slipped out of her clothes and settled in the tub, softly humming along with 'I Love You, I'll Kill You'.

Britain soaked in the tub, letting the setting that Dave had created soothe her. She wasn't going to let anything spoil her plans for the night of romance that awaited Dave. Although she tried to push all of the other images that weren't of him out of her mind; she kept coming back to one.

When she had gone to visit Chase, she had inadvertently walked in on some weird sexual, body art thing between Chase and Jeff Hardy. She had been tempted to laugh, but quickly dismissed that idea when her father and brother, who were both with her, started asking _her_ questions, as if _she_ had something to do with their bizarre sexual fetish.

She thought about how she had lied to Dave _again_ about her visit with Chase. She had told him that it had been an uneventful visit, but Chase had looked happy. That part wasn't a total lie; most women _would_ be happy to have Jeff Hardy lather them with body paint.

Dave heard her laughing and stuck his head in the door. "What's so funny" He regarded just how naked she was under the bubbles, seeing as how they clung to her wet arm and chest when she sat up in the bathtub.

She shook her head, but couldn't stop laughing. The look on Jeff's face, when he ran out of Chase's room, naked, covered in body pain; and Chase following closely behind him, with the same paint all over her hands and the front of her shirt. She thought that Jeff would shit, right there on the floor. What could he say? The more she thought about it, the harder she laughed.

She couldn't tell Dave, of course. But the tears were starting to roll down her cheeks as remembered hearing Chase say, "I'm not finished with you yet..." before finding them all standing in her living room. Instantly Chase had begun to cry. Why? What was Britain going to do? If Chase knew half of the freaky shit she and Dave did, she wouldn't have been embarrassed at all.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something funny." Britain said to Dave, trying to regain her composure. She knew he was not going to let up, so she quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you get in here with me...I'll let you scrub my back." She smiled at him. She knew full well what _that _smile meant, and she knew he knew what it meant too.

"Nope. I'm not going to let you distract me." He turned toward the bathroom door. If he continued to look at that smile, he just might give in. He knew that he couldn't always trust "little Dave" when it came to Britain and getting other things done.

"But a little distraction can be fun." She smiled again, this time draping one of her legs over the side of the tub. She laughed as he shook his head and walked out of the bathroom.

With him gone, she laid back and thought about everything. It had been three years, _already_? It didn't seem like that long; partly because one of them or both were always traveling. But, they had been through so much in that time. Like the time last year, when she thought she was pregnant. She was so scared, but Dave was calm and supportive. He had really hoped it was true, but she on the other hand was ready to eat rat poison. Dave had even gone to the doctor with her. To her relief, she found out that it was her body reacting to a new form of birth control she was using. Then there was the time that Dave's mom had gotten sick and he had to put her in an assistant living facility. He had felt so guilty about it all, wishing that somehow he could move her in with him; but he wasn't home as it was. Then was Britain's turn to be the supportive one. She sat with Dave and weighed out both choices, ultimately leading to his decision. The day his mom moved into the facility, he cried. Britain held him that entire night and whispered words of encouragement to him.

Their relationship had so many ups and downs, but the one thing that never changed was the way they felt about each other. Even if they disagreed or if he just plain pissed her off; they loved each other. Nothing could come in between them...

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Hunter sat at the bar, nursing his second double of Jack Daniels. He couldn't get the phone call out his mind. How should she call him and say that they should try a separation? They were already separated weren't they? But now she just wanted to make it official. All that meant was when he was back home, he still had to stay in a hotel.

When he had asked Stephanie why, she had given him some lame ass answer; that they didn't know each other anymore.

_"Well how the hell are we supposed to get to know each other again, if you want me to move out?" He asked through closed eyes, trying not to yell at her. She was single handedly tearing his world apart. All he wanted was for them to try again. He had never felt love with anybody like that before._

_"I can't do this anymore Hunter." She tried to mask her cry over the phone. This was harder than she thought. But she was doing this for him. He needed to decide if he loved her enough to make it work. She was convinced that he was having an affair. Maybe if she let him go, he would come back to her, right? Isn't that how the old saying goes._

_"Steph. I don't want this." He pleaded. _

_"What do you want then?" She asked hoping that he would say that he wanted her and he'd be damned if he was going to give up that easy._

_He thought about it. If this is truly what she wanted, he had no right to stop her. He had been a selfish bastard throughout their entire relationship; everything was what he wanted. "I just want you to be happy. If it's me leaving, I'll get my things after the show in Anaheim." He couldn't talk to her anymore. If he stayed on the phone any longer, he would have cried. He hung up the phone and ordered his first drink._

She sat in her office and let the tears ease from her eyes. _If he loved me, he would be here with me._ Her marriage was over and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

She flipped through her Rolodex and found the number for Charles Bastile, Attorney at Law. There was no point in dragging out the inevitable. She would file for a divorce tonight.

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Britain stepped out onto the patio to find Dave lighting candles. He had changed his clothes too; now he wore only white silk pajama pants. He smiled when he saw her. "You look amazing."

She didn't tell him that the nightgown was too short and was riding up in the back, because she had an ass, unlike the woman in the store that convinced him that this was a good size. She simply thanked him and took the class of champagne he handed to her.

He pulled out her chair and he sat at the table across from her. "Happy anniversary." He clicked his glass against hers.

"Wow, three years. It's been that long?" She smiled. "There were times when I didn't know if you were going to last five minutes, but you learn quickly young grasshopper."

He looked at her, taking in that smile. He was going to do it...he was going to ask her.

"Everything looks great. What is it?" She pulled the top off her plate and gasped. "Schweinebraten? Davey... my favorite."

He nodded. It had taken him forever to find a German restaurant that would deliver and set up. But it was worth it, just to see that smile.

"Bon apetite." He had practiced all day on how to say it with the right accent.

She laughed. "That's French. Auf deutsche ist Gutten apetite." It was that fact that he tried that impressed her.

Their dinner conversation was light and fun. They laughed at the memory of their last anniversary, when he tried to cook plantanos, and ended up having to use the fire extinguisher.

Their meal was finished in no time. "Ausgezeichnet." She tipped her head in approval to him.

"What's that mean?" He asked pouring more champagne into her glass. "It means excellent. Everything was excellent." She had taken a sip and sat her glass back down. He was already reaching over to replace the small sip that she had.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Dave?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

He hadn't even noticed he had done it. He was just so nervous; he was about to change the entire course of their relationship within a matter of minutes. So maybe subconsciously, if he got her drunk, he wouldn't have to listen all of her excuses why it wouldn't work; but that wasn't on the forefront of his mind.

He nodded. "I want you real liquored up tonight. That way I can have my way with you." He continued to fill her glass to the very top. Then he sat back in his chair and motioned for her to drink up.

She leaned across her plate and looked him in the eye, "Dave, I'm a sure thing. After all of this..." She motioned toward the house, "and this dinner. You're definitely getting some tonight." She noticed the small boyish smile sliding across his face. "If you keep being so sweet, I might just let you do whatever you want to me." She winked, causing him to chuckle.

"Good, then I won't have to make you pay for your half of this dinner." He laughed. He thought about her statement, '...let you do whatever you want...' There were a lot of things that he wanted, but this evening was about them; not him. "So what do _you _want?" He rested back in his chair and looked her in the eye.

"I want to open presents." Her smile said that it was something devilish and she laughed at his face. That's not exactly what he had in mind; he was hoping there would be some erotic conversation about all of the wicked things they were going to do as soon as they left the table. But presents were always good. "Who goes first?" She asked bouncing in her seat, like she was a child waiting for a present from Santa.

"Me." He nodded his head and laughed at her pout. Britain went into the living room and got out an envelope. When she came back to the table, he was trying to look behind her back.

She walked over to him and sat on his lap. "Happy anniversary." She kissed him and handed him the envelope.

He opened it up and looked at the papers inside arching his eyebrow. "A contract?" He looked at her. A contract hadn't been the anniversary present he was hoping for; a motorcycle yes, but a contract? The writing was too small and there were too many pages for him to read through, but the one thing that caught his eye was, _1606 A Ocean Drive. _He knew that address right away; that was her address.

He looked at her and back down at the contract. "I sold my condo." She said watching him browse the legal document.

He dared not let the smile that was trying to break free tickle his lips. If she sold her condo, maybe that meant that she would be moving to Tampa; hopefully in with him. He couldn't hope for that though. Had had been asking her for over a year and she always gave him some crap about her independence. He wasn't even home long enough to interfere with her independence..."Why? You just had the bathroom redone." He tried to search her face for an answer; but he couldn't get past that smile.

"I did it because the buyer wanted it." She took the papers out of his hands. "I've been thinking a lot about it and you're right. I think we should live together...and since your girls are in Tampa, I figured it would be easier for me to move in with you then for you to come to Miami with me." She wrinkled her chin when she said it. She looked at him for some sign of happiness. "I moved some of my stuff there yesterday." She hadn't told him that she was back in Tampa; since he was already in Denver, he didn't need to know.

He let a small groan escape his mouth as he hugged her. This was more than he could have asked for.

"Before I give you your present, I want you to know that I love you. I can't imagine my life without you." He reached over to the tray on the table and pulled out a small felt box. "I know that you're not ready to get married, and I don't want to pressure you into it. But what I'm asking for is a promise. I want you to promise me that when _are_ ready to get married, that it will be me that you want to get married to. I want you to promise me that you will always be in love with me." He opened the box and held the ring out to her. He watched her beautiful eyes well up with tears.

"Damn you Batista." She let her fingers trace the platinum band of the solitaire ring with side stones. It was beautiful, elegant, _big!_

"I don't want an answer yet. I'll do whatever you decide. I just want you to know that I am willing to be engaged to you for the next 50 years if that's how long it takes." He ran his thumb over her cheek, catching the tears that were falling. "Don't cry." He whispered kissing the other cheek to catch those tears.

She tried to open her mouth to say something, but he quieted her with a kiss. She wanted to tell him yes, but something in her head kept saying no. What if they didn't work out? What if he got tired of her? He had been married twice already, there was something he wasn't doing right, wasn't there?

He slid the ring on her finger. "I want you to wear this, but don't give me an answer until you're ready."

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Dave sat behind Britain on the bed, massaging her shoulders. He smiled at the feel of her melting into his body with each stroke of his hands. He casually had let the straps of her night gown fall off to the sides. Staring at her bare shoulder, he moved her hair over to the other shoulder and slowly kissed it. He moved his way up her shoulder to her neck and let his tongue trace a path to just below her ear.

"Tell me what you want." His whisper caused goose bumps on her skin.

She closed her eyes and held her breath. She loved making love to him; he had this amazing way of making every time feel like the first time. In fact, that's what he had said to her to the first time they were together _tell me what you want._ Only then she didn't tell him then that she wanted to be in a relationship with someone, and not just a sex object anymore. She didn't tell him that at that time she was tired of sleeping around, or that she had successfully laid most of South America and was just starting on Italy.

When she gasped instead of answering, he asked her again. "Tell me what you want." His warm breath on her ear, made the goose bumps travel to down her arm.

"You know what I want." She answered just as quietly. He always did this; try to make her tell him what she liked. He already knew, but he just had some sick perverted thing about hearing it. Guys are supposed to be visual, not auditory. Talking dirty or being verbal about her sexual preferences was not something she had really ever gotten use to. Oh, she _would_ do it, but usually only in the throes of passion.

He chuckled. He was going to make her say it damn it. He thought back to that night in LA, when she came in drunk. She told him exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it; he loved it. It had turned on him on so much, not that everything she did didn't turn him on...he just needed to hear it. Apparently, she hadn't had enough champagne; but it was all the way in the kitchen and she just fit so perfectly against his body...

"I know. I just want you to tell me." He let his tongue trace the contour of her ear, stopping to gently flick the small gold hoop that she was wearing. "I want to give it to you _exactly_ how you want it."

There was actually one thing she wanted to do, but what if it was too freaky for even him. That thought made her smile; he was a freak, there was no doubt about that. But what she wanted wasn't exactly considered romantic or even desirable to some. It was something that she had never done before. But she secretly regretted telling him no when he had asked a few months ago. She had planned on saving it until she finally got married; a gift to her new husband on their wedding night perhaps. But he had proposed to her, and she had every intention on telling him yes; that is if he would stop kissing her. It was too hard to think straight about that with his lips on her.

He sensed the hesitation in her and spoke in a warm soothing voice. "Whatever it is...I'll do it." He turned her head and kissed her, melting away all of her inhibitions. He let a smile cross his face, when she leaned into his ear and whispered her secret. He licked his lips at the thought of it and gently put his hand inside the front of her nightgown. "I can do that..."

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Chase sat at Jeff's computer trying to figure out the difference between a Duke and a Lord. This Renaissance class was harder than she had thought and it didn't help that Jeff was sitting next to her, looking at her text book as if he was going to come up with something brilliant. He asked more questions than giving her answers.

She had to admit, them being together was easier than she was anticipating. She didn't know how he would be after the last weekend they were together; the weekend they had slept together. She didn't know if he'd be all over her, or if he would try to keep his distance. But _he _had invited her to his house for the weekend. He was going to Denver on Sunday night and wouldn't see her again until the following weekend when Raw was coming back to California.

"Why do you need to know this shit? They don't do this anymore do they?" He flipped through the book taking note of how beautiful the gowns that the women of that time wore.

She shook her head. "I have to write this paper. It's the first one for this class. It's only got to be 10 pages; it won't take me that long." She said slightly annoyed.

Chase was a bookworm, through and through. She took school very seriously and when she was focused, everything around her bothered her...even Jeff. But he was so cute sitting there, in his black shirt and cut off sweat pants. His hair was up in two Princess Leia buns on the side of his head, letting his newly found burgundy streaks shine through. He had even put on his glasses to make himself look more studious.

She smiled at him and leaned over for a quick kiss. "I promise I'll be more fun once this is done. I just need an hour, two at the most." She took the textbook from him and began to search for the chapter on Absolute Monarchs.

Jeff sighed and stood up. "I'll go downstairs. Let me know if you need somethin'." He kissed her on the head and left out of his bedroom.

For all of ten minutes she was able to concentrate on her paper before the sounds of an ATV engine being turned over and over again, made her go to the window. She watched Jeff, ride up and down his track, making jumps over obstacles and doing donuts in the dirt. She heard a familiar voice yelling at him. She was actually glad to see Matt walking up the course; at least Jeff had someone to play with. Maybe after she finished her paper, that someone would be her...

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"I love you." Dave Batista whispered to Britain as he poured a small amount of body oil on her back. If this were going to enjoyable for both of them, she needed to be completely relaxed. He let his slick hands work small circles across her back and his hands squeeze her sides as he slowly moved downward. When he reached the small of her back, he moved back up and used his thumbs to deeply massage the muscles surrounding her spine.

She loved getting massages from him; but she hated when he asked for them. It wasn't that she didn't like feeling on his muscles; there were just so many of them. The man had muscles in parts of his body that people shouldn't even have muscles, and they were huge. It would take all day to massage him thoroughly and after about 3 minutes, she was tired. But now it was her turn, and if he wasn't careful, she was going to fall asleep.

He leaned over and kissed her shoulders. "Are you sure?" He asked. He couldn't stand the thought of her allowing it because she thought that he had wanted it. He wanted her to want it. When she nodded, he relaxed.

He moved over so that he laid beside her. "Turn over." He whispered, watching how gracefully she did. With his head propped up in his hand, he let his other hand trail down the center of her body down to her navel. She looked up at him and caressed his cheek. She leaned up and kissed him, pulling his head back down to the bed with her.

While his kiss was incredible, she was having a hard time concentrating, because his fingers had found their way lower on her body. The gentle pressure of his fingertips making small circle motions on her most sensitive areas, all but made that kiss seem obsolete.

He broke from the kiss and looked down at his hand, paying particular attention to the way her pelvis moved to counter the rhythm of his strokes. Her body was so responsive to his touch; even after all this time. He leaned over and kissed her shoulder, followed by her collarbone, and then her neck. He moved his hand lower to her thighs and opened them. Placing one of her legs over his, he slowly trailed down her body to the part that was waiting to receive him. At the same time, he gently bit her nipple and placed his fingers inside and began to move them slowly. He smiled to himself when he heard her breathing becoming shallower. He had her relaxed and incredibly needy.

He removed his slick fingers and let them travel lower, to another entrance that had never before been touched. He felt her body tense and her breath catch in her throat, but he had come too far. He repositioned himself so that he was kneeling by her side and let his tongue trail down her body.

She watched him move between her legs, desperately trying not to concentrate on the pain his finger was causing. _If that's just one finger, how the hell is going to get that in there?_ She almost regretted, regretting not letting him do it before. But she wanted this; she wanted to experience something new, with him. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt his tongue smoothly running around the sides of her heated sexuality. She could tell that he wasn't concentrating on giving her an orgasm, but trying to give her as much pleasure as possible.

The more his mouth moved, the less she even noticed his finger that now started to move slowly in and out of her. Just as his lips brushed the part of her that made her entire body tingle, she felt a sharp contrast, which she could only assume was another finger. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop, but the other part kept feeling that incredible mouth. She was torn, so she did what any other woman in the same position would do; she grabbed his head in order to encourage him to continue.

He understood immediately. She was someone in between pleasure and pain. He inserted his other two fingers where she was much more familiar with having them, and slowly, while still paying her lip service; he moved his hand back and forth. Just as he had hoped, he noticed faint moans from her mouth and her hips move with his hand.

Britain reached down for his other hand and brought it up to her mouth. She took two of his fingers into her mouth and licked them slowly. She then felt him mimic the movements of her tongue on his hand on the lower portion of her body. "I want you inside me." She knew it was inevitable, she was so close, but she didn't want to release that way. She wanted him to be making love to her, for him to feel how much pleasure he was giving her.

He positioned himself so that he knelt between her legs. Easily, he slid her hips up so they rested on his thighs. Without words, only a smoldering gaze, he pushed himself into her; causing them both to gasp. He closed his eyes, against the soft warmth of her body. No matter how many times they had made love before, his body fit into hers perfectly; she still excited him in ways that he didn't know were still possible and he knew that he would never get tired of having her.

She watched intensely as the muscles on his arms and chest flexed. Instead of him pushing into her, he used her hips to push her into him and pull her away. It was something about his strength; the fact that he could so easily man-handle her that turned her on more. She was close, no matter how hard she tried to not give into the feeling; his muscles wouldn't stop flexing.

He studied her face and smiled. He saw that familiar change in her eye color, the way she bit her bottom lip, the tight grip he had on his wrists. He told her how much he loved her, all the things he wanted to do with her, and how much he wanted to marry her; sending her over the edge. When her orgasm hit, he ceased movement and let her ride the wave of pleasure.

She could tell he was close too. He had waited for her to experience pure pleasure first and for that she was grateful. She closed her eyes against the expected pain when she felt the warm body oil hit her skin. And then her eyes flew open on their own. She felt him lay on her and kiss her. It was a soft kiss that increased in intensity slowly. The kind that made her run her fingers through his hair and grab his ears to bring him further into her mouth. She was so lost in the feeling of his kiss that she didn't notice him pushing into her. She bit his lip, hard as he continued to move in deeper. "Oh God." She managed to breath out releasing his lip.

He looked at her with concern. "Do you want me to stop?" He asked softly. This wasn't the first time he had done this, he knew how good it could be; but she would just have to get past the initial shock. "We don't have to do this." He smoothed away the damp hair that clung to her face.

"I want to." She couldn't think straight anymore. He either needed to finish going in or pull out. The limbo was agony, but she wanted this. She wanted him, she knew he wanted this and that was all that was important.

How could he do this knowing it was going to cause her pain? But on the other hand, she was so warm, so tight... "I don't want to hurt you."

Her hands touched his face. "I want to make you feel the same way you make me feel...whatever it takes." She said breathlessly.

He couldn't resist her, no matter what she asked of him, he couldn't tell her no. "I love you." He whispered before kissing her again. He continued to seat himself inside her and paused until she told him to move. He felt her muscles relax around him and as slowly as he could, he pulled out and back in. His strokes were as small as possible, creating the least amount of pain as he could.

She noticed the pain decreasing as his hand started to massage her again. She even felt herself move with him. It really _wasn't _so bad, granted it was not as nice as other things they had done; but it was something that she would definitely do again, although no time soon.

"Yes." She whimpered as her second orgasm hit.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. He was having a hard time focusing because he could feel the pressure mounting in his body. He kissed her lips softly as she said it again. "Yes...I want to marry you." The next thing he remembered before passing out the feeling that he was drowning. Somewhere between the feeling of her underneath of him, the tightness of her body, his intense orgasm, and her saying yes; he went into sensory overload.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Jeff bounced on the trampoline in his yard. It was something that he and Matt did since they were kids. When Jeff moved out he wanted to take it with him. Matt protested because it had been at their family home since they were children, but Jeff needed it. He didn't want to buy another one; besides Matt didn't use it anymore, it would just sit there and go to waste at their dad's house.

With every bounce, he peered into the bathroom on the second floor, catching quick glances of Chase getting out of the shower. He had promised to leave her alone, he just wanted her there with him. He had hoped that their first night at his house, would have resulted in some serious love making, but it didn't. It resulted with him falling asleep in his bed and Chase staying on his computer until 3am. When he woke up, she was in his guest room, still asleep. He had to expel some energy or he was going to explode; thus the trampoline.

The springing noise is what woke Chase up. She looked around and Jeff wasn't there. When she had gone to the window, she saw him outside, bouncing around like a child. It made her smile that he wasn't the type of person to take himself too seriously.

She thought that she had noticed his head flash by the window a few times while she toweled off, but he couldn't possibly jump that high, could he?

When she made it downstairs, she poked her head out of the door. "What do you want for breakfast?" She was wearing his shirt and nothing else. She hadn't thought much of it. She didn't know what he had planned for the day, so she didn't know what kind of clothes to wear. She watched him jump down and smile at her.

"Want pancakes?" He asked walking into the house. He stood mere inches from her. He wanted to pull that shirt off of her, but he was still trying to restrain himself. He didn't know if she was ready for him; the way that he was. He had the attention span of a small child; he could be doing a cross word puzzle one minute and have a massive erection the next. That poor girl had no idea the sexual appetite Jeff Hardy possessed; he may have acted like a six year old, but he was definitely _all_ man.

"Only if you promise to make a design in mine." She smiled at him turning away. She had thought that he would have made love to her this morning. She wasn't sure how to initiate it, so she decided to let him make the first move.

"You start 'em and I'll jump in the shower." He kissed her on the back of her head. "I'll be down in a minute."

She smiled looking around the kitchen for the supplies for pancakes. She found the mix in the pantry, but couldn't find the bowls. She looked in the cabinets, under the sink, under the island. She found everything else but a bowl to mix it in. She wondered unto the sun room and to her surprise she saw 10 metal bowls in different sizes lined up on the table. _Why the hell would you put bowls in here?_ She grabbed one and gasped when she turned around.

Jeff was standing in the door way smiling. "You found them." He said toweling off his wet hair. He hadn't gotten dressed; he was standing in front of her wearing a towel and had the other one on his head.

"Yeah. Why are they out here?" She looked around and noticed drum sticks sitting inside of one of the bowls.

He shrugged. "I was playing with the sound of different sized metal bowls. This room has great acoustics." He stepped toward her and leaned across her to press play on his CD player. The loud music made Chase jump and he laughed. He walked around and grabbed the drum sticks and started to tap the bowls along with the heavy guitar riffs coming from the stereo.

She jumped up on the buffet table, swinging her legs and her head to the music.

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Randy Orton got his card announcing who his match on Raw would be against tomorrow night. Instantly he felt uneasy about it. He was going to have to wrestle Jeff Hardy. It wasn't that he was afraid to wrestle him or anything, but knowing that Dave was rejoining Evolution and the last time the two of them had been in the same room...well, he just didn't have a good feeling.

He reached over to his cell and scrolled through the numbers to find John's.

"Talk to me." Randy was surprised that he was even up this early. He knew that John had gone home and he and his brothers would be out getting smashed. "You gonna say something, or breathe in my ear like a fuckin' stalker?"

"Fuck you." That's not exactly how he wanted to start this conversation, but he and John had been best friends for years, he knew that John knew that was a term of endearment. "Tell me everything you know about this beef with Hunt and Jeff."

John was a little thrown back by the question. Randy especially was never one to be into gossip, he usually had his own thing going on. "I don't really know. All I know is Hunter keeps stirring shit up with him." John stretched and yawned into the phone. "First I thought it was about Chase. But he don't give a fuck about her. Then a couple of weeks ago, he was starting shit with Jeff at the staff meeting. Why, what's up?"

Randy didn't know if he was overreacting or not; truthfully he wasn't in the mood to listen to John's mouth about it. "Nothing. I'm wrestling him tomorrow. I kinda got this feeling that Hunt's going do something to him." He rubbed his face with his hand. "You think I should call him and tell him to watch his back?"

John laughed. "Hunt's crazy, but I don't think he's _that_ crazy. He knows Vince is looking for a reason to get rid of him." Although it sounded good, John knew full well just how crazy Hunter really was. Did people really think that Christian left because TNA had a better deal for him? Hell no, he left because Hunter was making his life a living hell. "Besides, Jeff's a big boy; he can take care of himself. He's knows Hunt's out for him, he won't do nothin' to draw attention to himself."

"You think he's still seeing Chase?" Randy was curious about _that_ relationship. Chase was such a sweet girl, like homecoming queen sweet, not at all like Jeff. He was weird and artsy, he and his brother did all this stupid immature stuff. Randy would have denied it had anyone asked, but he subscribed to The Hardy Show and even had the first two seasons on DVD. He saw exactly how Jeff was. What the hell did they see in each other?

John hadn't given it a second thought. "Dunno. I ain't got nothin' to do wit all that." He liked them both and didn't see a problem with it if they were together. But he could sympathize with Dave. "If he wanna knock shorty down, that's his thing. All I know is he better do that shit on DL cause if Dave finds out..."

Both men fell silent and let their imaginations get the better of them.

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Dave rolled over to find that he was in bed alone. He patted around for Britain, before opening his eyes. He lifted his head off the pillow and spotted her sitting on the glider playing with hair. He knew something wasn't right, she only worried the ends of her hair when she was concentrating.

"Good morning." His smile, caused her to smile too. He got of the bed and walked over to where she was sitting. "You ok?" His voice was light and full of concern. He couldn't help but to think that she was still "uncomfortable" from the night before. She nodded. He motioned for her to move over and pulled the blanket she was using around him too.

She closed her eyes against the warmth of his chest. She loved when he would just hold her. He seemed to know when she needed it. "You're not scared?" She asked him listening to his heartbeat.

He pulled her away to look at her face and frowned. He could tell that she had been crying. "Why would I be afraid?" Not quite sure what she was referring to, but he was sure it had something to do with his proposal.

"Well, you've been married twice already and they didn't work out. How do you know we will?" She wasn't sure if that's how it was supposed to come out. But she knew she couldn't ask him what he had done in his other relationships to end in divorce.

He sighed and touched her face. "I know we will because I've never married for love before." There was so much truth in that statement it shocked even him. He really wasn't the heart professing, bare your soul type. He was relatively laid back and went with the flow. God, it had taken him six months to tell her that he was in love with her and even then he just blurted it out. "I married Emily so Chase could have a father, and I married Angie because she had cancer and I didn't want her to go through that alone."

He briefly thought about his past marriages, they had been doomed from the start. He spent more time with Chase then he did with Emily and once his other daughters came, they became more like roommates then anything else. His relationship with Angie was strange to begin with. She really wasn't his type. She was kind of plain, very professional, and hardly ever laughed. He knew his girls didn't like her and she wasn't that found of them either. They had only been dating for a few months when she was diagnosed. She was so scared, and he wanted to be there for her, but the only way he could get time off was if she were his spouse. So he married her, went to all of her treatments and surgeries and she got better. She's the one that wanted the divorce. She wanted him to be there because he loved her, not because he felt obligated to take care of her. But he didn't love her and they both knew it.

Britain was different. He actually had feelings for her; she loved his girls, even Alli, who really didn't know how she felt about the whole thing. He also like hanging out with her, she was fun, witty, playful, a smartass; everything he was. She kept him on his toes and wouldn't let him get away with shit. Granted she had her insecurities, but you really had to get to know her to find out what they were. She was sensible and rational and really had a Carpe Diem attitude toward life.

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you know that." He looked into her eyes and saw the hurt. She had told him before how men had used her, how most of the time she felt like just another pretty face. She was a trophy and she had plenty of boyfriends that treated her like that; they showed her off in public and forgot about her behind closed doors. That's why she was like how she was, defensive, but in a non-threatening way. That's why she never wore make up or dressed provocatively, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. She was happy being simple, even though the simpler she was the more beautiful it made her. "What are you afraid of?"

She thought about it and shrugged her shoulders. "I think you'll get tired of putting up with me...or that I'll be the first one in my family to get a divorce, my grandparents would kill me." She laughed trying to choke back her tears. She looked into his eyes and the truth came out of mouth before she could stop it. "I'm afraid that you will never love me as much as I love you."

He smiled and kissed her gently before wrapping her back up in his strong arms. "That'll never happen...I already do."

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Chase watched Jeff as he mixed up Henna paste in a bowl. "Ok, where do you want it?" He asked turning toward her smiling.

She looked around her body and smiled. She removed her shirt and pulled her hair up into a bun; the mere site made his manhood jump to life. "On my back." She nodded and flopped on the couch in his art studio.

He walked over to her and sat down. He touched the smooth skin on her back first before dipping his paint brush in the paste. "Anythin' in particular?" He wasn't sure what kind of tattoo she wanted, but he was a good enough artist that he could probably do whatever she wanted.

"Whatever you like. I trust you." She looked at him when he laughed.

"I might make you regret sayin' that. Just ask Shannon, what happened when he gave me artistic license." He thought for a second and started to paint. She laughed at first because the cold paint and the tickle of the brush made it hard to keep still. But Jeff concentrated until it was finally complete. It took all of an hour, but when he was done she had picture of an angel, wearing fishnets and a halo that was slightly leaning to the side.

She looked at it in the mirror and laughed. "Is that what you think of me now? I'm a fallen angel?"

He walked up to her and kissed her. He backed her up to the drawing table, careful not to ruin his art before the paste had time to bond with her skin, and sat her on it. "I like my angels slightly tarnished." His smile sent a blush across her face.

"You just wait until I do yours." She barely got it out before his lips assaulted her neck.

All of the fun she had with him; banging on bowls, jumping on the trampoline, learning how to ride a unicycle, all of it paled in comparison to making love to him. Just the feel of him, hearing him say her name made all of this sneaking around worth it. She knew tomorrow things would be different, she would be at school and he and her dad would be at work; together. But for right now, all she could do was succumb to the feeling of his body on hers.

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Hunter dialed Stephanie's number about ten times and hung up after the first ring. What was he going to say to her? _Baby I'm sorry, please take me back... _or _Steph this is what your father wants, let's not give him the satisfaction_ or how about _This is bullshit, we're in love and I'm not going anywhere until we work this out._ Actually the last one was the closest to the truth, but what if she didn't feel the same? All he knew was he needed to talk to her.

He dialed the number again and let it ring. "Why the hell do you keep hanging up on me?" She said on the other end annoyed.

He was for the first time in his life speechless. All the rehearsed speeches failed him; he didn't know what to say.

"Hello." she said softer, trying to make sure he was still there.

"Who gets the dogs?" That was really not what he had wanted to say, but it was an excuse to keep her on the phone. He could tell he had caught her off guard because she said 'what'. "Who gets the dogs? If...when, I move out. Do they come with me or do they stay at home?" He cursed himself silently for not saying what was really on his mind.

She sighed. Every time she had seen his number on the caller ID, she wished he was calling to tell her that he wanted to make it work. But who was she kidding? She had bruised his ego and that is something that no one got away with, especially her. "I guess they should stay with me. I don't see any reason for uprooting them." She really could care less about those damn dogs. They were his, she only put up with them because he loved them. She even went as far to start taking allergy shots just so she wouldn't be sick every time she came home.

_Why won't she just admit she's wrong?_ He shook his head. They were his dogs, and he wanted them, but if they were with her he would have an excuse to see her still. "Can I have visitation rights?" He tried to chuckle to lighten the mood. His heart skipped a beat when she chuckled back.

"Paul?" He held his breath, she _never _called him that. "I don't want this to be ugly." She really wanted to say that she didn't want this to be over. "We've been through too much to not be friends anymore."

He agreed. It didn't have to be ugly because all she had to do was say that it was a mistake and everything would be back to normal. He would do everything in his power to see her more often and work his fingers to the bone to rebuild their relationship. "Steph..." He could almost hear the expectation in her breath. "...I'll see you next week."

He hung up and threw his phone against the wall. All he had to do was tell her how he felt, but he was too much of a chicken shit to do it. He walked over to the match card hanging on the inside of the RAW trailer wall. He let a smile cross his face when he read:_ Match 5 - Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy - DQ (interference - Evolution). _He let out a small laugh as he pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun right over Jeff's name.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Britain, John and Dave sat at the table in the Kraft's Services area of the arena. With only two hours before she had to get to the airport, she figured she would spend it with Dave and his _stupid_ friends. Her best friend, X, was coming to Tampa to help her finish moving into Dave's house and some of X's photos were being featured in a new art gallery just outside of Tampa.

She had just finished her chips before taking Dave's plate of grapes, when Randy walked over to them. "Guess who made it to number 24 on Maxim's 100 hottest women's list?" He sang holding up the magazine that was opened to her picture.

She put her head in her hands. "Please don't read that." She said as Dave snatched the book from Randy.

Dave looked at her photos and then at her. With a raised eyebrow he smiled. There were two pictures of her; one was of her in a shower, showing the side of her body. It could have been more tastefully done, but this was _Maxim_. The next one had her lying on a motorcycle wearing chaps, a thong and a leather vest, nothing else. She hated that picture the most. "That's the bike I wanted." Dave said pointing at the picture. That comment resulted in her popping him in the back of the head. Only he would pay more attention to that stupid bike then her on it. "Oh look...there's an article that goes with it."

John peered over his shoulder and then looked at Britain. "Are you boobs real?"

She should've been angry, but she was convinced that John had been dropped on the head as a baby. Why in the hell would he ask her something like that, in front of all of them, no less?

"What?" Was all she could say. She looked at him like a dog would look at a sound that it didn't understand. He must have thought that she didn't hear him, so he repeated himself.

"I wanna know." He turned to Dave. "GQ, are they real?" He was damn serious, he needed to know. There are just some things that should never be asked; he just didn't think this was one of them.

Dave held up his hands and laughed. He was leaving that all up to her. If she slapped him so be it, if she answered that was fine too.

"Yes they're real you asshole. Don't you think if I had fake boobs, they would be bigger?" She rolled her eyes at John.

He thought about it for a moment. "Nah, if they were bigger, you'd probably fall over..."

Dave started to read aloud, mainly to shut John up. He knew that in a few minutes the main event would be Britain and Cena; he'd be willing to lay his money on Britain.

The beginning of the article was fine, the basics, where she was in her career, what she had accomplished. The closer he got to the question and answer portion the more she tried to take the book from him. He snatched it back and read: "Age: _28_, Height: _5'8"_, Weight: _120lbs._, Ethnicity: _Black, Mexican and German_, Resides in: _Florida and San Diego. _Single or Married: _Single, but dating someone..." _So far so good. Maybe they didn't put that part in the article after all. "Favorite sport: _Football and wrestling_, Favorite team: _Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots_, Favorite Wrestler: _Kevin Nash..._ Kevin Nash?" He looked over at her and she was covering her face again. "What the hell is this Kevin Nash shit?"

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut; she knew the article was only going to get worse.

John took the magazine and finished reading the questions. "Boxers or briefs:_ Commando._ Favorite part of your body: _My hair_, Favorite part of your boyfriend's body: _His smile. _Have you ever done it with a woman: _No, but I kissed one once. _Secret fantasy: _Well, my boyfriend's a wrestler and I want to do him in the middle of the ring with everyone watching us. I want everyone to know just how good he is. The way he..." _

She couldn't snatch the book away from John fast enough. "...Ok, that's enough show and tell." She walked to the trash can and dropped the magazine inside. When she came back to the table, Dave was giving her that shit eating grin that she hated. "After the photo shoot, we went out, I got drunk and I didn't know I was on record." She tried to defend herself through Randy's laughter. "My agent's already yelled at me and my dad's called me four times."

He pulled her to his lap and laughed. "I'm that good baby?" He made his voice extra deep, deep enough to piss her off. God, he could be so conceited sometimes and she fed right into that big ass ego of his.

"No. I just didn't want hurt your feelings with that Kevin Nash comment." She rolled her eyes and gave Randy shot her eyes at Randy; he immediately stopped laughing.

"What was _that _about?" He asked her.

While she was searching for something to say, she noticed Jeff walking into the room. "I'll be right back." She said getting up.

He watched her walk past Jeff and he could have sworn he saw a smile or something between them. _What the fuck was that?_ His brain said it loud enough for those words to actually come out of his mouth. Hunter walked over and sat down. "Did you just see that?" Hunter turned to Dave. Dave turned around and watched Britain walk out of the room and Jeff followed a few moments later.

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"I just wanted to say again that I'm _really _sorry for busting in you and Chase." She couldn't help her grin from coming back. She noticed how Jeff stood uncomfortably looking at her. "You really like her, huh?" It was an honest question.

His blush was a dead give away. "We had the best time this weekend." He leaned up against the wall and told Britain about how much fun Chase was. He told her that he was going to see her on Sunday when he got to California, and how he wished they could have more time together besides the few days here and there that they were able to sneak away.

"Well, she has an open ticket to Europe for a week. Why don't you see if you can get some time off and maybe go with her." She was good at match making. She had successfully helped all of her friends hook up with guys and now she felt like Jeff and Chase's secret love affair was her new hobby. "That way you two can spend some time together and you don't have to worry about Dave or that asshole..." She watched Hunter and Randy walk out into the hallway.

Hunter leaned up against the wall next to Jeff. "Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. Just can't leave the women in Dave's life alone, can you?" He put his thick arm around Jeff's shoulder. "Now, he's too much of gentleman to ask what the fuck is so important that you couldn't talk to his girl in front of him. But I'm not..."

Britain looked at Randy who shook his head. This is not what he had in mind. He was just going out in the hallway to make sure that Hunter didn't do anything to Jeff, not to confront him. "Hunt, leave him alone." He looked at Jeff, who wasn't backing down.

"You know what? You really get on my fucking nerves!" Britain shot out. "You don't have anything better to do, do you? Now that Chase's not here, you just want to fuck with me right?"

Hunter turned is smile back to Jeff. "Looks like your new girlfriend's got more balls you do." He whispered in Jeff's ear.

"And what the fuck are you Randy...backup? I expected this kind of high school bullshit from him, but you? I'm disappointed." She turned and walked away from them all.

Hunter put his hand on the wall, just above Jeff's head. "I told you before Rainbow, that you were going to have problems. Get ready..." He said slapping the side of Jeff's face to pep him up. Jeff and Randy watched as Hunter walked away laughing.

Jeff turned his gaze back to Randy. "Dude, I don't know what the fuck he's up to, but he's got it in for you." Randy wanted to ask Jeff about his relationship with Chase, but now might not have been a good idea. "Just watch your back."

"I don't know what I did to him. I don't remember him bein' so much of a fuckin' punk before." He turned to Randy and sighed. "Who would've thought that me taken out Dave's daughter would piss _him_ off so much."

Randy shuffled his feet. "I know it's not my business, but are you still seeing her?" He looked at Jeff and then down at the floor. Who was he, Jeff's dad? Why was it any of his concern?

Jeff looked at Randy seriously. "And if I am? You gonna run and tell Dave or Hunter?"

"Personally I don't see what's so bad about it. I thought about hitting that once or twice myself...I mean...Look, if you want to see her, I don't really give a fuck. But just know that you're giving Hunter ammo to feed to Dave which is going to lead to World War fucking Three. Dave's a cool guy, but when he's mad..." Randy shook his head and walked away.

Jeff sighed and reached into his pocket for his phone. He knew Chase was in class, but he left her a message anyway. "Hey, I just wanted to tell you, I love you." He said before he hung up the phone.

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Britain watched Dave's return to Raw from the airplane. His big return was successful and she was so proud. She smiled when she saw him come down the ramp with his Dolce glasses on, his white Armani suit, which _she _had picked out was tailored to perfection. He looked so good standing with Randy, Ric and oh yeah Hunter. The crowd ate it up, when they all came out playing Evolution's theme music. No one knew about his big switch to Raw or that Evolution was back together. She could tell by the look on his face, that he was back; just like old times.

She watched him stand by the side of the ring as Randy and Jeff went at it. She even cringed, when Hunter bounced the rope to foil Jeff's Swanton on Randy. All though it was planned, Hunter was shaking it a little too hard. Luckily Jeff landed on his shoulder and not his neck. She could tell by the look on Ric's face that Hunter was being careless and taking things too far. But even through all of that, her man looked good. He was professional at work, he even removed his jacket before he and the rest of the group got in the ring to "finish" Jeff off.

As soon as she walked in the door to Dave's house, her cell rang. She smiled, it had to be Dave. He always called after his matches. "You looked great." She answered the phone with a smile.

"Well thanks." She heard a voice giggle on the other end.

"Hey girl, where are you?" She asked X. Finally, she was making the trip around the world, as she called it, to help her settle into Dave's house. They were going to do it up for a few days, before they would travel back to California for Raw and her mom's birthday. After that, she was staying put for two whole weeks. Two weeks of doing nothing; no traveling, just walking around the house in t-shirts, boxers and bunny slippers; it was almost too good to be true.

"I'm outside. You wanna help me with my bags?" Britain laughed. Only she would call from outside to get help with the bags instead of coming to the door first.

She met her friend with a warm hug and a sigh when she saw how many bags she had with her. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that X was moving in with them. They got the stuff in the house barely and sat on the couch to catch up. Britain tried to concentrate on the conversation, but she kept looking at her phone. Dave still hadn't called yet; he always called.

"Let me see the ring." X said grabbing her hand. She cooed at the site. It was truly beautiful. "You bitch. Why can't I find a fine man with good taste in jewelry?" She pouted.

Britain walked over to the house phone and checked the voice messages there too; nothing. "You think I should call him?" Britain asked putting her hand on her hip. "He always calls me after his matches. Something's wrong." She couldn't shake the feeling.

X walked to her friend and put her arms around her. "He probably just went out with his boys." Hell, that's what she planned on doing after the match next week. "Does he still talk to that guy John? He's hot." Britain laughed. John wasn't hot, he was John. Ok so maybe he was a little cute and had a great body, he wasn't fine. He was dog.

"He said the same thing about you."

X's eyes got as big as her smile. "Really? I'd like to break off a piece of that." Britain laughed harder. That is almost the same thing he had said about her. They could be cute together, but they both needed to know the rules. John was as big of a dog as Christina was. As long they didn't expect it to be anything more than hot, sweaty, monkey sex they would get along fine.

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Jeff exited the shower with his towel around his waist. He walked over to the bench and opened his locker. As he turned toward the other row of lockers, he noticed Randy's eyes about to pop out of his head. "You ok?" He asked with a light hearted temperament. Although he didn't know if he could trust Randy or John for that matter, they had both took the time to warn him about Hunter, so they weren't completely on the bad guy list anymore.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Randy asked. He was surprised that Jeff didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Randy pointed to Jeff's stomach and he looked down. _The Henna tattoo, I completely forgot about it._ He was now mentally kicking himself. They were supposed to be "sneaking around" and here he was fucking advertising.

Jeff went through his bag and got out his clothes. "Shit." He said quietly and started to get dressed. Apparently, he wasn't fast enough because he noticed Dave come up to Randy. Jeff quickly turned to face his locker, only to have Hunter standing in front of it.

"What do we have here? A new tattoo..." Hunter said loud enough for Dave to hear him. "And it's really good. You should show Dave… he likes tattoos." Jeff tried to pull his shirt over his head, but Hunter snatched it off. Randy advanced toward Jeff in a feeble attempt to protect him, which in turn made Dave turn toward him.

The tattoo was an innocent joke. Just as Chase had given him the freedom to do whatever he wanted on her back, he had done the same for her. It was meant for them, a private joke between lovers. Dave found it anything but amusing.

Dave's jaws clinched and he balled his fist at the sight. The tattoo was done in her hand writing; complete with the little smiley faces that she always put in her A's. It read, _Chase was here_, followed by that damn arrow that pointed toward his groin.

Dave stepped over the bench and was mere inches from Jeff's face. Randy called out for John, who was one row of lockers away from them. He knew he couldn't stop Dave by himself. "What the fuck is this shit?" Dave said a little too calmly. "Did you think I was fucking playing with you?" He pushed Jeff against the locker.

Jeff immediately pushed back. "I'm a grown ass man. I'll do whatever the fuck I want." Frankly, he was getting sick of hiding his relationship from Dave. Who the fuck was he anyway?

Before Jeff could say anything else, he felt Dave's hand make contact with his jaw. All he could do was rush him, but felt himself being pulled off and kneed in the groin by Hunter. Jeff laid on the floor doubled over, as Dave came running toward him. Luckily, Randy and John pulled him back, but not before Dave had a chance to kick Jeff in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Stay away from my fucking daughter!" He yelled at him. "This shit ain't over, bitch! Believe me!" He yelled before being dragged out into the hallway.

"You trying to get fucking fired, bro?" Randy yelled at him.

"You need to mind your own fucking business. This shit is between me and him." Dave said snatching his arm away.

"Nah dude. This is between him and her. _You_ ain't got nothin' to do with it." John said firmly, but backed down when he saw Dave's glare.

He turned to John and snarled. "Tell your boy, his ass is mine." He said before walking away.

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"So let me see your man in action." X said motioning to the TV. She knew that Dave was the arrogant type that would tape himself every time he was on. She pushed several buttons on the remote, which turned on every other electrical gadget in the house but the Tivo. "How do you work this thing?"

Britain was in the kitchen. "Just hit it twice and it'll come on." She said before adding more Vodka to the daiquiri mix. Just as her finger was about to hit the start button on the blender, she heard panting and very familiar pillow talk. She almost ran from the kitchen into the living room, her face turned a thousands shades of red.

"I said I wanted to see him in action...not exactly what I had in mind, but this'll do." X sat back on the couch and turned to Britain. "Making movies now?"

Britain smiled at her friend. It's not like in her younger wilder days that she and X hadn't been through almost everything together. "Um, Dave got me...um...a camcorder for my birthday." The grin on her face was almost as big as X's. She knew Christina would not let this go, nor would she turn it off. X was a proud card carrying member of the voyeur's club.

X turned back to the big screen TV. "Excellent picture quality."

Britain nodded, still watching herself on screen. She had to admit, they looked hot together.

"And...is that an automatic zoom lens? That's a pretty expensive camera."

Britain laughed. Only X would make this private home movie into an episode of Syskle and Ebert.

"Do you always speak Spanish during sex?" X asked with her eyes still glued to the screen.

Britain sat next to her. "No, but he likes it." She thought about it; it's not like German was a sexy language or anything. She watched as X laughed when Dave started talking to her. At the time Britain didn't see anything wrong with it. Dave was telling her these off the wall things, like how he wanted to take her away from all of this and he would take care of her, they would make love all day and never have to worry about anything again. What was he talking about? Britain was pretty, rich and successful; it definitely didn't suck to be her. X turned to Britain and looked at her for an explanation. "You know...he was a sailor, only on leave for one day. I was the poor girl from the Barrio, that didn't speak English." Was Christina _that_ out of practice?

X just shook her head. "Role playing? You guys are so gay."

Suddenly X turned up the volume and doubled over laughing. "De quién amplias rayas y estrellas brillantes, con la lucha peligrosa" '_Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight'_ "The Star Spangled Banner, Brit?"

She had forgotten all about that. Britain tossed back her head and laughed too. "Well, I couldn't think of anything to say...and the TV was on and they were playing that song when the station went off." Britain found herself pouting at X who wouldn't stop laughing. "Anyway, he doesn't know. He doesn't even speak Spanish."

Thank goodness the phone rang. She wasn't sure how much more of X's comments she could take, nor did she care to humiliate herself any further.

"Hey. What you two doing?" She heard Dave's somber voice. She was ready to rip him a new one.

"Well, Christina and _I_ are watching the movie of _you _and _me_ that _we_ made on _my _birthday, which _you _left in the DVD player. You look really hot in it I might add." She heard him sigh. That wasn't like him at all. No smart assed conceited comments, no back pedaling out of why he was watching the video without her or why he left it in the DVD player and not the safe. Britain walked into the kitchen with the cordless phone. "What's wrong baby?" She asked before sitting down on the bar stool. Judging from how he looked on TV, he should be on cloud nine.

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't feel like arguing." He sighed again. He didn't like getting angry, it made him feel out of control. Right now Britain was the only person who could bring back his sanity.

She ferried her brow, this was so unlike him. "Davey, you can talk to me about anything. I may not agree with you, but you know you can talk to me." She quickly thought over the events of the past few days, she couldn't think of anything that he should be upset about. "Is it your girls, work... me? Tell me."

"No, it's nothing like that. I just gotta take care of something." He had to talk to Chase, even if that meant getting on a plane and showing up at her apartment in the middle of the night, he was going to do it. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

Britain stared at the phone; he had just hung up on her. She knew that was not a good sign.

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Jeff had called Chase when he got back to his hotel. Her phone had beeped about fifty times while they were talking. She knew without looking at the caller ID that it was her father. "Jeff, he's gonna kill you. And then he's going to kill me and hide the body." Jeff laughed, but she was dead serious.

She had only known to him to be like that once before. When she was 10, her biological father came back. He demanded that Chase live with him and accused Dave of intimidating him into signing away his parental rights. Although he really had no intention of taking care of Chase, Dave was not going to take that chance.

She remembered being at her dad's house when this strange guy came around drunk, saying all this horrible stuff to them and about her mom. She could still hear the anger in Dave's voice. Although she was supposed to be in her room, she peeked out only to see Dave beat the living crap out of the man, who claimed to be her father. She hadn't ever seen him before, and though she knew that Dave wasn't her "real" father, he was still her daddy.

She had never seen him so angry, his eyes were pitch black, and his face was twisted in a snarl. He didn't even look like her daddy anymore. She didn't know what she was more afraid of, the strange guy or him. He only stopped hitting him when she ran to him crying_. "Daddy, please. Don't hurt him anymore, daddy."_ Her small face covered in tears. _"We don't fight remember? That's not the way to handle our problems_." Dave turned to her and picked her up to carry her back into her room. She could still him crying while he apologized to her.

That was the first and last time she'd ever seen him loose it, and again it was because of her. She was afraid for herself, for Jeff… for her dad. "Jeff, I can't see you anymore."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jeff banged on Chase's door. So what he skipped out on a signing? If Vince was going to suspend him or fine him or even fire him, who cares? All he could think about was Chase's last words to him, _I can't see you anymore._ How could she just give up so easily? So what, he had taken a beating for it? It wasn't the first and probably wouldn't be the last. But she was worth it; all of it was worth it.

"Chase! I know you're in there, your car's out front." He banged on the door harder. He had been at it for 5 minutes and she still wouldn't open up. He slid down and sat in front of the door. If he had to sleep outside of her apartment he would. She had to know how serious he was about them; he wasn't going until she talked to him.

Chase and Cassie sat on the couch, while Sherry watched Jeff from the window. "I think he's going to camp out, Chasey." Sherry turned back to the window. "God, that's so romantic." It would have been if it didn't have that stalker-like symptom to it.

Chase wiped her eyes. She was so tired of crying. For the last two days, she had been listening to every message he left her, pleading with her not to end what they had. She thought if she didn't call him back or answer his emails, he would give up; the last thing she expected was for him to ditch work and fly to California to try to work this out. "What should I do?" She turned to Cassie who had been rubbing her head for the last five minutes.

Cassie put her arms around Chase. "He really loves you. I would give my right arm to have a guy feel like that about me." She looked at her friend. "I think you should talk to him."

Chase sighed and walked across the room. She opened the front door to find Jeff sitting there with his back turned. He couldn't turn around right away because she would have seen the smile on his face. It wasn't a cocky or arrogant smile; it was more like a smile of relief. He had won half of the battle, now all he had to do was explain it to her; she needed to know that they belonged together. He stood up, turned and looked at his Chase. Before he could get the words that he'd rehearsed the entire flight there out, he felt her arms fly around his neck and he was pulled into a slow soft kiss.

"I love you, Jeff." She cried once he let her go.

He lifted her head and kissed away her tears. "Then why are you breakin' my heart?" He heard himself ask with more emotion than he wanted to show; Chase hadn't been the only one crying about this.

She stepped back. She didn't want to have to do this; make a choice between her father and Jeff. She loved her dad, he was the best man she'd ever known, he would do anything for her, he had always been there for her. But on the other hand, she loved Jeff. He was the first man that showed her what real love felt like, he was the first man in her entire life that she was enough for; she never saw disappointment in his eyes, he let her be herself and that was good enough for him.

He walked into her living room behind her. Granted he didn't want to profess his love for her in front of her roommates, but at this point he didn't care if he had to broadcast it on the next episode of Raw.

"This can't work Jeff. My dad is going to hurt you... _really_ hurt you." She touched his face in hopes that he would understand. "I'm doing this to protect you."

Did she really think that by breaking up with him would make Dave forgive and forget? It didn't work like that with men. This wasn't about her anymore; it was about pride, ego and proving whose arm was stronger. Even if Chase was out of the picture, Jeff knew this was far from over. He knew that Dave had his reasons for not wanting him around his daughter, but that was a long time ago. Hell, it was another life; he had changed so much since then.

He ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you love me?" He looked into her blue eyes. She said yes so softly, he felt his heart cry. "You love me...that's all the protection I need." He smiled taking her face in his hands. "This is true love, you think this happens everyday? I ain't scared of Dave, what I'm scared of is losin' you. As long as I know that you love me and you're right here with me, I can take whatever he comes at me with."

He wasn't making any sense to her. He was willing to risk it all for her, why? She was a child compared to him; he was the one with all of the experiences and a real life behind him. Why was she so important? "Jeff, I'm not worth it. This is your job, hell, your life we're talking about. My dad..."

He silenced her with a kiss. "Your dad ain't in this relationship. This is about you and me...and you _are_ worth it. You're so worth it to me." Words couldn't describe how he felt about her, not that he couldn't think of any - literally there were none. "I don't give my heart to people easy. Since my mom died, I got this empty spot in me and I've tried to fill it with everythin' I could get my hands on. But you filled it. I don't know how, but you did. And, I ain't willin' to let you go...not that easy."

There was no more need for words. Sherry and Cassie were already holding each other crying at the sentiment of love before them. Chase kissed Jeff softly and held him.

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Dave Batista grew more irritated as the days progressed. He still hadn't been able to get a hold of Chase, although he called her enough. If his schedule hadn't been so hectic, he would have gone to LA, just to find out what in the hell was going on with her and Jeff. But since his return to Raw, they had him lined up for his new intro footage shoot, an interview for WWE magazine, two signings and a shit load of other promo crap that he really wasn't in the mood for.

He had even gone so far as to enlist his youngest daughter in the quest to get to the bottom of things. He had tried Maddy, but she was no help. That child lied so much, he wouldn't have believed her; even if she had been telling the truth. So far all Alli could tell him was that Chase had a boyfriend, but that's all she knew.

"When did this happen?" He asked her casually. Even though Alli and Chase weren't really that close, he knew if he made it seem like Chase were in trouble, Alli would never tell. His girls had a way of protecting each other no matter who they were up against.

"I don't know. When she came back from seeing you, she was all whispering with Maddy about some guy she met. All I know is she talks to him on her web-cam all the time and her cell phone." Alli really didn't see anything wrong with giving up that information. If her dad really wanted to know who Chase was talking to all he had to do was look at the cell phone bill; he paid it after all.

He was getting no where, fast. He wanted answers, NOW! Tomorrow, he would have all the answers he could handle, but for now, he had to let his imagination run wild.

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Britain and X got to the hotel only to find that Dave wasn't there yet. He was still tied up at some signing. After they dropped her bags off in Dave's room, they made their way down to Christina's. When Britain heard music loud enough to shake the pictures off the wall, she knew immediately that John was near by.

She banged on the door, loud enough for him to hear it. John opened it, clad only in a pair of shorts and white ankle socks. "Why the hell is your music so loud?" Britain asked walking past him. She found his boombox and turned it off.

Randy looked up from the bed he was asleep on. "I've been trying to get him to turn that shit down for an hour." He said yawning before putting the pillow over his head.

Britain turned to find John eyeing Christina, who was eyeing him right back. It was like they shared part of the same brain or something. Oh, X was definitely time enough for John. "X this John, John this is X. I think you two met last year at Dave's birthday party." Britain stood by John's bed and smiled at how intensely they looked at each other.

John leaned up against the door, which he hadn't closed yet. "So, why they call you X?"

She smiled and leaned her head to the side. _Oh no, she's giving him the do me baby eyes_ Britain thought while trying to control her laughter. "Because I'm X-rated." Christina replied.

This was too much. If she didn't stop them now, she was sure they would have jumped each other right there in the threshold of the door. "We call her that, because her name is Xaviera."

John smiled and nodded, then he looked confused. "Wait. I thought your name was Christina." He looked at Britain, who laughed.

"Xaviera Christina." X smiled moving closer to him.

John was bold enough to touch the St. Christopher charm that hung on her necklace. "So uh, you don't like Xaviera?" If Britain had to listen to that phony giggle anymore, she was going to throw up.

X batted her long eyelashes at him and shook her head, while biting her lip. "People always say it wrong, they pronounce it with an X not the H sound; so it was just easier to go by X or Christina; whichever." John was really digging her. She was definitely his type; maybe a little short for his taste, but she was cute, well built and definitely a little slutty.

Britain got up and grabbed X by the hand. "¡Maldición él es atractivo ¿Me pregunto si todos sus músculos son ése grande? " _'Damn he's fine!_ _I wonder if all of his muscles are that big.' _X said turning to Britain.

"Calm down." Britain said almost pushing her out the door.

John smiled, stepping out in the hallway with them. "So you speak Spanish too, huh?" This was getting better and better. Not only was she sexy, but she was bi-lingual; maybe he could make her tri-lingual, have her speaking in tongues...

"Latina and proud." X said before Britain gave him an apologetic look and pushed her down the hall. She was going to have to keep a serious eye on her, if not she was going to turn John out!

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Jeff laid with his head on Chase's chest, listening to her heart beat. Just the feel of her hand stroking his hair made everything go away. Obviously Dave didn't know what he was up against; nothing would ever be able to take the feeling of having her arms around him away.

"Jeff?" She asked quietly, not sure if he was asleep. He looked up at her with lazy green eyes. "This isn't like my dad. Usually when he gets his mind made up about something, he's determined, but not violent. I just wish he'd get to know you better...then he'd see you like I do."

She and Jeff had spent the better part of the afternoon and most of the evening, proving to each other why they should be together; how much they loved each other. But even in the afterglow, Chase couldn't shake the idea that her dad had it out for Jeff personally. This had so much more to do with her having a boyfriend. He didn't flip out like this when she went to the prom, and that was the night that everyone was expected to get laid.

Jeff closed his eyes against the sound of her breathing. "He does know me. He just doesn't like me." There was too much history behind it all. Dave had meet Matt through D-Von, years ago, Jeff knew him by proxy. It's not like Matt and Dave hung out or anything, but occasionally they would work out together and they even ended up at a few parties together. But Jeff was so busy hanging with Shannon and Shane that he really didn't pay the older guys much attention, besides, during that time Jeff had other things on his mind.

"But why wouldn't he? You're such a great guy." This didn't make sense. Everyone else around them could see how happy they were, why wouldn't he? So what Jeff was 10 years older, that's about the same as he and Britain's. And it shouldn't be the experience thing. Just because Britain wasn't a virgin when they met didn't mean that she and her dad had the same experiences. Besides, Jeff was teaching her everything she needed to know about love and she was a very apt pupil.

Jeff rolled onto his side and pulled the covers over Chase's breasts. "I told you before that I was addicted to pain pills, right." Chase nodded. "Well...that's not all I've ever done." It shouldn't have been this hard to tell her. But the idea of the disappointment in her eyes scared him. "A few years ago, I use to get wasted...all the time. It started out as smokin' weed with my friends, but it was never enough...I started tryin' other stuff, just to see what it was like." Jeff took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Pretty soon, I was tryin' everythin'; I's gettin' high almost everyday."

Chase looked at him confused. She remembered Matt telling her that Jeff's problem with drugs was more serious, but she thought it was just the pills. "What kind of drugs?" She asked quietly.

Jeff shook his head and let out a laugh. "What kind didn't I do? I did everythin', 'shrooms, XTC, Special K, meth, coke, I even sniffed heroine once." He opened his eyes only to see tears forming in hers. He touched her face, "But that was a long time ago. I went to rehab and I got better." His voice was just above a whisper.

"When did you start taking Vicodin?" If there was a timeline for all this, she needed to know about it.

He thought back, God, that was so long ago. "I left that rehab place early. I'd already got fired from the WWF for failin' the piss test, but I ain't really care. Shit just wasn't right, you know? I's clean for about six months and I got signed by TNA. Then I got hurt. I had to have surgery on my back, and they gave me pills for the pain...at first they helped, but then I had to take more of 'em to make the pain stop." His voice was almost in a trance. He could remember it so clearly, his mouth even started to water, just thinking about the way everything ceased to exist when he was high. "Pretty soon, I had to take them, just to get out the bed. Before I knew it, I couldn't do anythin' without 'em. I mean, like we're talkin' now, I'd have to be high first to do that."

Chase's voice was so faint that he barely heard her. "I don't wanna know about this, Jeff." It was too much, too different from the Jeff she knew now. Her Jeff, wasn't a junky, her Jeff was the funniest, sweetest guy in the world; not like those people she had seen on that A&E show Intervention.

"But you need to know...when I use to get high, I was like another person. I was a lot of fun, but I wasn't a very good person. I did some stuff that I'm not proud of and sometimes people got hurt because of my choices...I think that's why your dad doesn't like me. He remembers..."

"But all he has to see is that you're not like that now. If we just talk to him, I know he'll understand." Chase knew that she was giving her father entirely too much credit. Dave didn't change his mind about things, especially when his girls were involved.

"You're his daughter. He don't care that I got clean. Hell, I got clean before and ended up right back were I was...he's afraid for you, Chase. So am I."

She sat up to meet his eyes. "How long has it been?" No matter what his answer was, it wouldn't change how she felt about him. She loved him, even this part of him.

"I've been clean for 18 months now and I haven't really thought about gettin' high in about a year." He chuckled, "...some days are harder then others. But since I met you, everyday's been a good day."

Chase looked over at her night table, at the bottle of Advil she had left out. Should she put it away, out his sight? What do you do when your boyfriend has a drug habit that you didn't know was as bad as it was?

Jeff turned her head back to him. "You don't gotta worry about that. I ain't so much as taken an aspirin in 18 months." He ran his thumb over her dimpled cheek. "If I get high, I know I'll loose you and it ain't worth it to me to do that. I actually like myself like this...it's hard, but I like it. I ain't gonna fuck it up this time."

He kissed away all of doubts. Chase knew that Jeff's past was in the past and she was in his future. If her dad didn't understand that, well, that was just too damn bad.

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Dave crawled into the bed, as quietly as he could. He nuzzled next to Britain, just feeling her warmth before he let his eyes close. He let a smile cross his lips as he felt her hand touch his neck. She settled her head up next him taking the time to rub her cheek against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, just before she raised her head to kiss his lips.

"Hey." She said in between short kisses, still not fully awake yet. She would have been content to continue sleeping, but he smelled so good. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that he just dabbed on a little Drakkar, just before getting in bed; just because he knew how much she loved it on him. "You smell good." She said sniffing his neck.

"It's called, I'm too tired to shower." He said finally settling down enough to go to sleep.

She opened her eyes and looked at him through the darkness. "What are you tired from? All you did was sign your name all day."

He laughed. If that's all it took to do a signing, he wouldn't mind it so much. It's not like he didn't enjoy meeting the fans, but really, how many pictures was one person expected to take in a day? His eyes hurt from all the thousands of flashes he was forced to look at, he had a crick in his neck from the uncomfortable poses he had to stand in with fans who were much shorter. They all wanted the same pose, him with his arm around their shoulder. Just once he wished one of the moms would have let him pick the kid up or let him bend down to meet their height; but no, he looked more intimidating at his full height with his arm drapped around a 4'1" kid. Multiple that by what seemed like half of the West Coast and that's what a day of signing was like.

Britain kissed his shoulder and started to move her way up his neck. She listened to him sigh; not a sigh of expectation, but more like one of frustration. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or do I have to guess?" She asked stopping at his chin.

He already knew how she was going to respond to it, so really, what was the point? But despite his better judgment, he told her. "Chase is still seeing Jeff Hardy."

Britain rolled over on her back and looked at the ceiling. Why was it _every _time they were together, he had to bring them up? For all she knew right now Chase and Jeff were having sex, lots of it; the kind that _they_ would've been having, if he wasn't obsessing. "Not this again." She said, mostly to herself, but loud enough for him to hear. "What's your problem with him?" She asked annoyed.

Why would she even have to ask? He had made it clear that Chase wasn't to see him, end of story. There were no explanations needed. "Did you know he had a drug problem?" He tried his best to sound like he was talking to her rationally instead of being accusatory.

"Did you know that I once blew a guy to get backstage at a concert?" She asked matter-of-factly. "Davey...we've all done shit in the past that we're not proud of. Get over it."

How dare she just say _'get over it'_ as if it were that easy? If he could get over it, he'd of done it by now. Obviously, he hadn't made his point clear, so he proceeded to tell her all of the millions of reasons that Chase should not be seeing Jeff. Britain felt herself get more and more pissed with him by the second.

"You know, you really should spend less time concentrating on your daughter's relationship and spend a little bit more time worrying about ours." She wasn't going to do this; she refused to have an argument. But he wouldn't shut up about Chase. Oh, Chase this and Chase that; it's a wonder Chase hadn't humped the entire UCLA football team by now, with the amount of pressure he put on her.

Dave looked at her confused. "What's wrong with our relationship? We're fine." What was that suppose to mean? If she had something to say, she needed to come out and say it. He was too tired to try to figure out her subliminal messages tonight.

"Dave. I haven't seen you in a week, I've talked to you a total of 20 minutes in 7 days, I'm _really_ horny and all you want to do is talk about Chase and her boyfriend? You don't see anything wrong with that?" Hell Stevie Wonder could've seen what was wrong with this picture; but brainiac didn't seem to get it.

"The only thing I see that's wrong is that you don't seem to understand why I'm still pissed about it. When do you get have my back, be on my side for a change?"

That remark was a little too snippy for her liking. "Whatever, Dave. I'm going to sleep." She said rolling over.

He looked at the back of her head. God, she could be frustrating; but he knew that she would rather end a conversation instead of argue. Arguing had never really been her thing. "Babe. I didn't mean it like that." He said touching her shoulder. The last thing he wanted was to let this, _them_, come between he and Britain, but here it was again.

"Good night David." She said closing her eyes.

He knew he was definitely in the dog house now. She only called him David when he was.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dave sat in his hotel room, alone. It was as if the events of the day had happened in slow motion. He shook his head as the tears rolled off the end of his nose. "Fucking D-day." He said softly. D-day had always stood for the day that the heroic soldiers of WWII stormed the beach at Normandy. Well D-day also stood for the day that Dave Batista fucked everything up, stormed into his daughter's life and lost it all. _Why the hell did I let it go that far?_

The morning started typically. If he had known then what he knew now, he would have followed his first mind and stayed in bed with Britain. He would have apologized for making her angry the night before, although he still didn't see what the big deal was. If anything, she should be the one apologizing to him. After all, _she_ was wrong; she had no right to question why he didn't want Chase with Jeff. She didn't know him...not like he did. She didn't know about what happened that night a few years ago.

When he awoke, he wanted to make love to her...let her know that they were ok. That comment Britain made about their relationship had thrown him for a loop, but they were fine. Besides, no matter how good the sex was when she was mad at him, he knew that if he didn't apologize first, it would never happen. He got out of the bed and showered before going to the gym. Today would be a lot like yesterday. Had to work out, finish up the intro footage, then he was doing a commercial for Gold's Gym, before going to the arena. Even though he wanted to feel her on top of him before he left, there just wasn't time.

He placed a small kiss in her hair before grabbing his keys and walking out the door.

Half way down the hall, he remembered that he still had to get the backstage credentials to Chase. Oh, she was _going_ to talk to him today. But he didn't have time to make the 45 minute drive to her apartment to drop them off. He couldn't ask Britain, she was still asleep and he knew that she would rip him a new one again. He'd stopped by John and Randy's room, but didn't get an answer. He thought about going to Christina's room, but that would mean that she would tell Britain and the shit would hit the fan. He didn't know if Ric had checked in yet, he liked to show up right around show time, so his only other hope was...Hunter.

Reluctantly he knocked on Hunter's door. He was greeted by a sleepy asshole. "What the fuck do you want? It's 7:30 in the fucking morning." Hunter's morning approach was just as sweet as it was later in the day.

"I thought we were working out this morning." Dave said to Hunter before walking in his room.

Hunter climbed back in his bed and closed his eyes. "I ain't going. I got something I need to handle right now." He was referring to a phone call he had received from a Charles Bastille, attorney at law. Although Mr. Bastille wouldn't say what he wanted over the phone, he knew it had something to do with Stephanie. He had already agreed to move out, so why would she need a lawyer...unless she was planning on making this a legal separation, which would only mean they were leading to ... He refused to think about that.

Dave sighed. He hated to work out alone. "Can you go up to LA this morning? I need you to give this to my daughter." He handed the credential, ticket and a small piece of paper with her address on it to Hunter. "She's coming to the show, but I never got the chance to get this to her." Dave knew that Hunter was an asshole, but he had proved to be reliable in the past.

"So… get your girl to do it." Hunter said in between yawns. Going to LA wasn't what he had in mind today. He had planned on finding this Charles Bastille's office and beating the shit out of him for whatever he had cooked up with Stephanie.

Dave shuffled his feet, "Can you just take it?" The annoyance in his voice was growing stronger. He was caught off guard when Hunter laughed.

"You're in trouble again, huh." Hunter shook his head at Dave. He would never understand why Dave let that bitch dominate their relationship. And it's not that he really didn't like Britain, she was just too strong for him. He liked his women more docile... more like Stephanie. "Why do you put up with that shit? You got a thousand women lined up to take her place and you let her treat you like shit."

Dave could feel his jaw clinch. He didn't need Hunter or anyone else for that matter analyzing his relationship. "I don't want a thousand other women. I want her." He answered calmly. "Can you do this or not?"

Hunter snatched the items from Dave, "Yeah, but you fucking owe me."

That was it, just the catalyst that was needed to start the D-day massacre. Dave grabbed the pillow and wept into it. It was wrong, everything was so fucking wrong. First Chase and now his Britain.

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Britain woke up to an empty room. _The least he could have done was said goodbye_ she thought pulling back the covers and heading into the bathroom. He must really had been pissed, he never left without kissing her and saying something sweet. He was just being an asshole. She wasn't even that mad about last night, he was just getting on her nerves.

After she had gotten out of the shower, she called his cell. _How dare he just leave like that?_ She looked over to the dresser when she heard his phone ringing. So much for talking to him, now she had to wait around until 6:00 until she could see him and find out what was up.

She made her way to X's room. She used the card key and opened the door and almost died right then and there. "Christina!" She yelled.

X jumped up in the bed and covered herself with the sheet. "What? What's wrong?" She asked sleepily. Britain surveyed the room, clothes were thrown in every corner, the pillows were up on the dresser, X's hair was all over the place, not to mention her make up which was sliding off her face. Britain shook her head as she looked over on the bed and saw none other then John Cena, sleeping.

"You fucked him? Already? You talked to him for all of two seconds yesterday." Britain dared not walk into the room, for she may have touched something with John's cooties on it.

X looked over at John and smiled. "Oh yeah. I got bored after you went to bed...just killing time."

Britain threw up her hands and left her room. This was great, first Dave was being a dick and now X was fucking John. _EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW_! Britain made her way down to the restaurant alone. She was soon happy to see Ric sitting there drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. "This seat taken?" She asked Ric and gave him a smile.

He folded his paper down and motioned for her to sit with him. "So where's your affianced?" Ric asked taking her hand to inspect the ring. Britain shrugged her shoulders and let her lips turn upward in irritation. "Trouble in paradise?" Ric asked once the waitress had taken her order.

"You know...he's just being an asshole right now." She really didn't want to go into again, but Ric knew Dave. Maybe he could shed some light. "I love Dave's girls, I really do. But everything lately has been about Chase. I'm so sick of hearing about her. He just has her on this pedestal, and it pisses me off. He doesn't put me on one...that's childish right?" She looked at Ric who wouldn't stop smiling. Why was she jealous of Chase? It's not that she was jealous, but maybe if Dave paid her half as much attention it wouldn't be so bad.

Ric shook his head. "You just want him to have the same amount of dedication to you…nothing wrong with that." He sipped his coffee before placing the cup back on the saucer. "He does you know. When we're with him, you're all he talks about. It's a little irritating actually."

Britain smiled. So he did talk about her? She knew he loved her, but it would be nice if he drooled over her when she was around sometimes.

"You don't have kids. You don't understand how much we worry about them." Britain dipped her toast in her Cream of Wheat and listened. "Especially with this situation. We travel 10 months out of a year, and being a part time dad is awful. And this whole Chase and Jeff thing, well it's not easy on any of us."

"Why? Jeff's a nice guy." Why was everyone so against Jeff? He'd been nothing but sweet since she'd met him; more importantly, he was crazy about Chase. He made her happy. "Because he had a drug problem? Like I told Dave, we all have skeletons in our closet."

Ric sighed, he debated if he should tell her the whole story or not. "Look, it's not my place to say. But just know that Dave has his reasons..." He looked up and noticed Randy walking to the door with not one, but two women with him. "That boy's gonna catch something."

His comment made Britain turn around and laugh. "He's not doing anything that all of yall haven't done."

"Yeah, but those aren't the same two that he took up to his room last night." Ric said shaking his head.

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Hunter sat in his car outside of Chase's apartment. He had been trying to figure out how to work the speaker phone feature on his new cell; that is since he had smashed the old one. He had to get the fancy LG phone that had a camera, camcorder, text pad and phone all in one. Sure it looked cool, but how the hell did you work it?

No sooner did he put the phone down and grab for the door handle did his mouth fly open. There was Chase, wearing only a t-shirt followed closely behind by Jeff Hardy. Hunter let the smile cross his lips as he picked up his phone and transformed it to the video camera. That was one feature he remembered the salesman showing him. He sat in the front of his car and recorded it all, he even opened the window in hopes to get audio.

He watched as Jeff moved in front of Chase then turned around to kiss her. And this wasn't a 'see you later' kiss, this was a 'I love you with every fiber of my being' kiss. He smiled, as she wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers through his hair. Although they were talking too low to catch what they were saying, he had them in perfect view; he even zoomed in a few times.

He lowered his seat back as Jeff made his way down the stairs, but made sure to keep the camera phone rolling. "I love you." He heard Jeff say, as he made his way to his rental and panned back up when Chase said it back.

"Oh, Rainbow…you'll learn soon enough." He heard himself laugh before dropping the things from Dave into the Chase's mail slot. Once he got back in the car, he watched his footage. "This is gonna be good." He said before pulling off.

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"So you're mad at me now? Why should you be the only one getting some?" X asked in the car on the way to the Arena.

Britain drove in silence. She wasn't even thinking about Christina and John, she was thinking about what exactly Ric meant by it wasn't his place to say. What _was_ the story behind Jeff? Was he like a serial killer or something? She looked over at her friend who was still talking about how good John was; like she wanted to hear that. She'd lived a long fruitful life without knowing all of the nasty things John could do with his tongue. "At least one of us got laid." She said pulling into the parking lot.

X looked at Britain. "You mean you didn't unleash the beast?" She loved using that term; all of Dave's stage names, she made some sort of sexual references to. It just seemed to fit.

Britain shook her head. "He was trippin', so I didn't get any...I swear it took all I had not to just fuck the taste out his mouth. But, if he's a good boy today, I plan on doing that tonight." She looked over at X's disgusted face and laughed.

The two women made their way into the arena and went backstage to Kraft Services, where they knew they would see the others.

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Hunter paced the halls waiting for Stephanie to answer her cell. "Why the fuck is your lawyer calling me? I thought we were going to _try_ a separation, so we could work on what ever the problem is." He practically yelled into the phone. He avoided the looks from the other wrestlers, while walking into his dressing room for privacy.

"I don't want to drag this out, Paul. Neither one of us are happy..." She started to say before she got choked up.

"I _am_ happy Steph. You make me happy." He softened his voice. How could she think that he wasn't happy with her? "God, baby, I love you so fucking much. I don't want a divorce; I just want you to figure out what the fuck you want." He closed his eyes and listened to her cry. He wanted so much to be there with her, to hold her and to tell her that they would make it through this rough patch.

She was tired of crying, tired of living like this, with him. "We have tried. My dad was right, it can't work." She steadied herself. "I saw you that night, in Buffalo. I saw all those girls you were with. You let them be all over you; you weren't even thinking about me were you?" She had kept that night a secret from him. She had traveled to see him, but when she got backstage, she saw him with all of those women looking all to happy to have them gushing over him, rubbing his chest, sitting on his lap; and he was allowing it, smiling it up.

He thought back to that night. It was during the Diva search tryouts. Those girls were just trying to get nominations. Sure he enjoyed being in their company, but he went back to his hotel, alone. "Steph, I didn't sleep with them. I swear. I've never cheated on you, I never will. I love you." His voice was about an octave higher than normal. Why would she think that? What was she doing in Buffalo?

"And what about the times, when you roomed with the Divas? Why was it always Candice? Is she the one you're fucking now?"

Stephanie's accusations were as hard to say as they were for him to hear. "Where is all this coming from, Steph? You know damned well that I don't control the room assignments. You can ask Dave, whenever there was a mix up, I stayed in his room."

She was running out of ammo, he had an excuse for everything. "Then why don't you touch me anymore? I'm not just talking about sex, you won't even hug me." She held back her wail of agony, "I don't remember the last time you kissed me." It was too long between affections with him, and he seemed to be just fine with it.

Hunter put his head on his hand and listened. "I figured you didn't want me to. Every time I tried, you'd back away." His dander was raised when she laughed in disbelief. "Do you know how crazy I am about you? How every fucking time I see you, I want you." This was no laughing matter, why was she being like this...so much like...Vince.

"If you would have said that to me two months ago, I would have believed you." She held her breath again, "It's too late now. I want a divorce." She whispered before hanging up.

He stood there dumbfounded. "Steph? Steph!" He yelled into the phone and was answered by silence. He burst through the door of the dressing room, he needed something or someone to hit. He stepped in the hall just in time to see Jeff Hardy walking past him smiling on his cell phone. He watched as Jeff walked into the locker room, then he turned back, when he heard the door behind him. Chase walked in casually on her phone too, with that same smile.

Hunter controlled his breathing and went to find Dave.

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Dave watched as Britain and X walked into Kraft Services. He put his hands in his pockets and walked over to her. She was making that face… that pissed off face. "Hey." He said in a deep voice. She regarded him and rolled her eyes. He touched her arm as she walked past him. "Can we talk?"

She walked with him outside into the hallway. "So you couldn't even say goodbye this morning?" She said pushing him in the chest.

He touched her hands and held them close to him. "I did...I kissed you on your head before I left." Jesus, was she mad about that too?

"You know, if you weren't so damn cute, I would really pissed at you right now." She said biting her bottom lip. She wasn't mad anymore, especially since talking to Ric, but she wouldn't just come right out and say that all was forgiven.

He pulled her closer to him and leaned down for a kiss. It was the kind of kiss he had hoped for, the kind that was slow and soft. He pulled away and noticed Hunter walking up to them.

Hunter stood by impatiently watching them kiss each other. Why the fuck should he be so happy? "I need to talk to you." Hunter said rudely.

Britain turned and shot him a fuck off face. "We're busy." She said turning back to Dave, before kissing him again.

"Now!" Hunter yelled and walked away.

Dave sighed. "I'll be right back." He left Britain standing there looking confused.

She threw up her hands and walked back in the room to find X.

Dave found Hunter around the corner, just outside of the locker room. "What?" He asked leaning up against the wall.

Hunter tried to hide his excitement, but leaned up next to Dave and pulled out his phone. "You know the damnedest thing about these phones is they do all this stuff nowadays."

Dave ran his fingers through his hair. "You pulled me away from Britain to tell me about your new phone?" He started to walk away; this was strange even for Hunter. But he was quickly redirected when he heard the word Chase come from Hunter's lips.

Dave watched the footage and could feel his pulse quicken in his temples. "When was this?" He asked glaring at Hunter. At no time did it register that Hunter was taking videos of his kid. He'd probably beat Hunter down if it had. He didn't even wait for a response; he walked back to Kraft Services with Hunter's phone still in hand.

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Jeff and Chase made eyes at each other from across the room. Chase sat with Britain and X and he was sitting with Johnny Nitro. He really didn't know him that well, but he seemed interesting enough. Before he had a chance to answer Johnny's question, he noticed Dave and Hunter walk into the room. Dave looked like he was fit to be tied.

He quickly looked over at Chase as Dave made a b-line for her. He saw as Dave grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out into the hallway, followed closely behind by Britain, some blonde and Evolution, plus one, as Matt called them. He couldn't, he _wouldn't_, let her go through this alone. He excused himself from Johnny and followed.

"What is this, Chase?" Dave said just inches from his daughters face. He could see the tears forming in her eyes. He played the footage for her and watched as she looked at Britain for help. "I told you to stay away from him! Did you think that I was doing that for my health?"

Chase's chin quivered as her father yelled at her in front of everyone. "Daddy, please. Not right here." She whispered, trying to appeal with his sense of privacy. It would have worked, if Dave was being sensible, but it was a little too late for that.

He straightened up and looked down at his daughter. He waited for an explanation, one that she wasn't ready to give. "Well?" He said looking into her blue eyes, noticing how deep her dimples were when she pinched her lips together.

"Daddy...I love him." She said before breaking down in tears.

The sight of her crying broke Jeff's heart. He pushed his way past John and Ric to get between Dave and Chase. He reached out and pulled Chase to him stroking her hair and glaring at Dave. "This is bullshit, Dave. You gotta problem with me ...don't put her in the middle of it."

Watching Jeff try to calm Chase pissed Dave off more. He snatched his daughter out of Jeff's arms and deposited her over toward Britain. He pushed Jeff up to the wall by his collar.

"Dave...that's enough! Do you really want to hurt the man your daughter's in love with?" Britain asked him.

He shot her a look. "She's too fucking young to be in love." He said before turning back to Jeff. Although he wasn't sure what to do with him, he knew that hurting him badly would be the end result.

Britain yelled louder than she had meant to. "She's about the same age that you were when you married her mother!" He was being such an asshole! And she wanted to marry him, why? Right now she was having a hard time remembering. The look he gave her made her not continue. Dave didn't get angry, not with her, but she knew him well enough to know that it was time to back off.

He turned toward her slowly, "This is about my family. You need to stay out of it."

If Britain were a man, she would have punched the shit out him. What did that mean, _his family_? She was going to marry him right; didn't that give her rights into the inner sanctum of the precious Batista lineage? "I am your fucking family." She said staring right back at him.

"You just couldn't wait to get her in your bed, right? You like 'em young don't you Jeff?" His attention was now focused solely on Jeff. Even though Randy and John and had done a good job of warding off the crowd that was starting to gather, the people were still staring. Dave didn't care if Vince or Bischoff were there either. This had to settled, once and for all. "How old was that girl, Kelly? 16…17 maybe?"

Jeff closed his eyes. He hadn't heard that name in years, although he knew she was the reason that Dave was so against him and Chase being together in the first place. "I didn't touch that girl Dave...and you know it." He opened his eyes to see a smile on Hunter's face. This was going better than even he imagined.

"But it didn't stop her from getting hurt did it? She was there because of you." Dave started to continue, but stopped when he heard Chase's voice.

"Daddy, I know all about Jeff's past. I know that he did some things when he was on drugs."

Dave turned to Chase with a wicked smile. "Did he tell you about Kelly?" Chase shook her head. "Go ahead lover boy. Tell her all about how you got her high and how she passed out. Then make sure you tell her how your friends ran a train on her. How badly they beat her, how they took turns raping her..."

Chase looked at Jeff and saw the tears falling from his eyes. She didn't know whether to ask him about it or just leave.

"David! Stop it!" Britain yelled, grabbing his arm. "This shit is wrong. What you're doing is wrong!" He wouldn't be reasoned with, and frankly she'd had enough. She tried to get Chase to leave with her, but she wouldn't leave Jeff's side.

"That was a long time ago. I didn't touch her." Jeff said quietly.

"But you didn't stop them either, did you? She trusted you." What did he expect Jeff to do? He was high off his ass, he couldn't have stopped them if he wanted to; not that he even realized what was going on. He had thought it was funny; hell that much coke and 'shrooms made everything funny.

Jeff was tired of this. His past was never going to let him be the person he was trying to be now. "I paid my dues...I went to rehab." He tried to defend himself with Chase's eyes, but they were so full of tears that he couldn't tell if he was getting through. If he could have shielded her from this he would have. He had no intentions of ever telling her about Kelly. All Chase needed to know was that he was a different person back then.

"You got rehab and she got a hysterectomy from what they did to her. Doesn't seem fair..." Dave's dark brown eyes were slicing through Jeff's face. "So what's next? You planning on getting Chase high? Have your friends come over and fuck her too?"

Before Jeff could answer, Eric Bischoff was walking up to them. "I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but we have a show to do. Jeff, you're up in 15 minutes." Eric said in an unusually calm voice. That was before he noticed that Dave wouldn't let Jeff go. "Unless you want to get fined, I suggest you let my superstar go, so he can go do his job. You hear me Batista?"

Dave looked at Eric and released Jeff. They both knew this was far from over.

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It was something in the way that Chase watched Jeff on the monitor that almost sent guilt through to Dave's soul. He walked over to her, more calmly than before and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm only trying to protect you, Princess." He said somberly. He hadn't expected the look of hatred in her eyes, when she looked at him.

"I don't want your protection. You had no right to do that." She said turning away from him.

No right...no right? That was child for crying out loud. "You're my daughter, I have every right." He said still trying to remain calm.

Randy had walked up to them, he was suppose to interfere in Jeff's match as payback from the last time they were in the ring together...that's what the script had said. He came just in time to hear Chase strike back.

"Your daughter? I'm not your daughter! You're not my _real_ father! You've been playing at it all these years, but you're not. My _real_ father came for me once and you beat him unconscious." She was saddened by the look in his eyes. All of her life, he had been the only father she had known but she was trying her best to break his heart, just as he had broken hers. "I hate you!" She said before walking away.

Something in Dave's mind snapped, because before he knew it, he was outside of the ring. He pulled Jeff down from the apron and lifted him over his head. He threw Jeff's body against the bike racks, used to protect the wrestlers from the crowd. Everyone in the crowd ate it up; they thought it was part of the Evolution act. Only Jeff, Dave and Johnny Nitro knew that's not the way it was supposed to go.

Jeff felt the white hot pain in his side and the shortness of breath that followed. He almost didn't feel the relentless kicks to his side or Dave's hand cracking him across his cheekbone. There was blood, a lot of it, but Jeff couldn't concentrate on that. It was too hard to breathe.

Dave didn't stop. Not until he was pulled off by security. He continued to bite the inside of his lip and his nostrils continued to flair as they took Jeff away on a stretcher. The only time he felt remorse was when he saw Chase's horror stricken face at the whole ordeal, and behind her stood...Britain.

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Dave walked back into Hunter's dressing room. He had just found out that he was suspended for 30 days and fined $5,000 for fighting. Even Eric didn't care about his motives. Now he had to explain it to Britain; he had to make her understand why he had to do it.

They all sat in the dressing room together. Hunter on side, John, Randy and Ric on the other and Dave sat at a table by himself with a drink and Britain standing near by. He was tired of listening to her defend them and telling him that he was wrong. _They_ were wrong; he knew it, Hunter knew it, why was it that she didn't? "He is too old for her! He's seen too much...done too much! Why can't you see that?" He yelled, not caring about embarrassing her. He was angry dammit, and he couldn't stop.

She couldn't believe how much of hypocrite he was being. God, he was being such a jerk. "Do you know how stupid you sound right now?" She yelled back at him. She would be damned if he was going to out talk her. "Our age difference is bigger than theirs is!"

He looked at her as if she were crazy. The veins in his arm started to protrude as he clinched his fist together. The clicking of his jaw was louder in his ear then her words. "My daughter's _boyfriend_ is older then you are!" This wasn't rocket science, was she that much against him or was she really that fucking stupid?

"Well, I'm only seven and a half years older than your daughter! This isn't about their age and you know it. You have some personal vendetta against him...just admit it!" If he couldn't see that his daughter was happy with this man that was his problem. She however was not going to stand by and watch him ruin Chase and Jeff's relationship, especially since he was dangerously close to ruining theirs.

He regarded her with utter contempt. He knew the next words out his mouth would hurt, but she had to see how bad he was hurting. "The only thing a man that age wants from a woman her age is sex! And knowing him, it's not going to stop there, don't you understand that? What else could they possibly have in common? I don't care who you are or how much you claim to love them, that's what it all boils down to." He wasn't going to apologize, she had to know how it worked with older men and younger women, it was like the older guy had an obligation to make the younger woman do things she wouldn't normally do. It was an ego boost; if she was too young to understand that, it was her own damn fault.

She was stunned. Was he talking about Chase and Jeff or them? She slowed her breathing and studied his face. "Is that all you want from me?" She had to ask, almost afraid to hear his answer. She could feel her heart racing as fast as her brain was. She flashed back to all the times they had made love; the countless times he told her he loved her. Is that all she was to him, a piece of ass? After all this time, after all of the money and traveling half way around the world to be with him, this is what it all came down to?

"It worked didn't it?" Even he was shocked at how nasty it sounded. He noticed Ric shaking his head in disappointment. He couldn't worry about that or the look of anger on the faces of Randy _or_ John. Only the stoic look on her face mattered. He wanted it to hurt; he wanted her to cry, like he had been. His brain was telling him to hurt her as bad as he was hurting, but his heart begged him to stop. "All it took was some flowers and you let me fuck you..." He picked up his drink and chugged it back, clinching his teeth against the bitter taste. "..., a few I love you's and I got you to use that pretty little mouth on me..." He could see her eyes; the tears daring not to fall. He wanted to stop, but he couldn't, he had to keep on. "...and a ring; you let me go where no man had gone before."

If he could have pulled the words out of the air and stuffed them back into his wounded ego, he would have. Why did he have to be like that? He was not a malicious person, but he had always been the type to strike back when he was cornered. He had to say something that would make her understand how serious he was about this situation; even if it wasn't true. So maybe that's what it was in the very beginning, back when he first met her. All he could do was think about getting her in bed. And once it finally happened, he couldn't get enough of her; but once he got to know her, _really_ got to know her, he fell in love. But at least now she understood now, she had to.

She tried to steady her legs from giving out. His words had been the equivalent of getting hit in the back of the head with a sledgehammer. She was sure she was having a heart attack, because it was so hard to breathe. Her eyes stung, like someone had just poured onion juice inside of them, but she would not cry; she would not give him the satisfaction. She licked her lips and nodded her head slowly. She stood up straight and looked down her nose at him. She cursed him in Spanish and German at the same time inside, but her words were calm and like silk. "Bravo." She clapped her hands slowly. "You had me fooled." She sucked in her breath to keep from letting the cry in her heart come flying out of her mouth. "You won. You beat me."

His eyes were hard, even though he tried to tell her he didn't mean it with them. But her gaze was piercing. Their entire relationship going through his mind. _What the fuck did I do?_ He wanted to grab her and tell her he was sorry for those stupid things he said. He wanted to tell her that none of it was the truth; that he was hurting and right now he needed her to support him. He wanted to, but he didn't.

Her watery blue-grey eyes couldn't hold the flooding of tears behind them, but she spoke to him with a smile. "God, I'm so fucking stupid... all those times you told me you loved me...all the promises you made...they all ended up with you fucking me. I bet you even had a good laugh with your friends about it. But shame on me, because I believed you. But that was the whole point...for you to get laid, right?"

He tried to will his body to go out to her and hold her. He tried to make his mouth say something to tell her he didn't mean it, he had just said that because he was angry; but he couldn't. He opened his mouth and nothing would come out.

If she didn't leave right now, she was going to loose it. She turned to face the door and with as much dignity as she could muster, she started across the room. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Hunter sitting by the door, smiling. He waved his hand as a woman would at the fingers; not at the wrist. His voice singing "Bye-bye" as he mocked her pain.

She didn't tell her feet to move, they did that on their own. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself lunging across the table. She felt her fingers cracking against his mouth, as she punched in the face with all of her might. She couldn't stop her hands from wildly hitting him as she cursed him. "¡Tú híbrido! Ésta es toda tu avería. ¿Por qué no podrías dejarnos solos¡Te odio!" '_You bastard! This is all your fault. Why couldn't you just leave us alone? I hate you!'_

Hunter couldn't stop her from hitting him. His mouth hurt as he tasted the coppery blood where her engagement ring made contact and split the lip. He stood up and with one hard hand struck her down, his closed hand hitting her in the face. He hit her as hard as he would hit any man. If she wanted to act like a man, by God, he was going to treat her like one. He watched as she spun around and fell to the concrete floor. But he wasn't satisfied; he started to charge at her. He found himself stopped by John who speared him against the wall. He couldn't hear anything they said because all he could hear was his rage in his ears. "Fucking bitch! I'll fucking kill you." He yelled before spitting at her and then trying to charge her again.

Dave's brain couldn't decide whether to check on Britain first or to kill Hunter. In that split second, he surveyed the scene; John and Randy had Hunter safely pinned to the wall and Ric was standing over Britain. He jumped to his feet and went over to her. He pushed Ric out of the way and gently placed his hand on her head, moving her soft black hair from off of her face. "Baby?" His voice was almost a whisper, and he couldn't stop the tears in his eyes. He had hurt Chase, hurt Jeff, hurt her, he watched Hunter hurt her; this isn't what he wanted to happen. He could see the blood coming from her nose, and the large red handprint from Hunter across her beautiful face.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed scrambling to her feet, unable to control her sobs. "Don't you ever fucking touch me again!" She picked herself up from the floor. She took the ring off her finger and threw it across the room.

She met Hunter's glare and walked out the room. As soon as she was on the other side of the door, she ran. She ran like the devil himself was after her. If she could run fast enough, she could escape the pain in her heart which outweighed the pain in her hand and her face ten fold. She pushed people in the hallway, all she knew is she had to get out.

He had lost everything; his daughter, the woman he loved and one of his best friends. He took one look at Hunter and everything went black. He attacked Hunter, while John and Randy held him. He beat him within inches of his life. He wept while he did it, tears, snot, and saliva coming out of him; giving him the look of a rabid animal. It wasn't until Ric pulled him away did he look down at Hunter's unmoving, bloody body. He didn't care if he had killed him or not. He turned to Ric and buried his head on shoulder and wept.

"What did I do?" He asked almost unable to understand through his sobs. Ric held him and let him cry.

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Now Dave laid on the bed in his hotel room with nothing.. and it was all his fault.


	21. Chapter 21

**This chapter talks about rape...reader discretion is advised!**

Chapter 21

Chase stood outside of Jeff's hospital room impatiently with Christina. It shouldn't have taken that long to get x-rays; unless something was wrong. She watched as nurses, doctors and even the cleaning man walked in and out of his room, but no one stopped to talk to her. She was tired of waiting; they had been there for over an hour without so much as one word as to his condition.

Without thinking, she walked in the room, warding off the nurses warning that she couldn't go in there. "Is he ok?" She asked the doctor who was writing something on a chart. She looked past her and saw Jeff, sleeping. His cheek was badly bruised, he had an IV in his arm and that little oxygen thing in his nose. He looked like he was fine, minus the face, so why wouldn't they come out and tell her?

"I was on my way to talk to you." The doctor said putting down the chart. "He got pretty banged up...but he should be alright." The doctor's smile was anything but convincing. "Do you mind if I ask...what happened?"

Chase looked down at Jeff again and in a small voice talked to the doctor. "My father... did this to him."

The doctor formed her mouth into an "o" and moved closer to Chase. "Well, he's got 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung. We have him sedated right now, because we had to put in a chest tube. But as soon as the fluid drains clear, we should be able to take that out. He's lucky we didn't have to intebate him; he should be out of here in a few days."

Chase's head was spinning. Everything that happened tonight was like something out of a bad movie. She reached for Jeff's hand. "Can I sit with him?"

The doctor nodded. "He'll be ok honey. He's going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up, but he'll pull through."

Just before the doctor walked out of the room, Chase followed. "Um...he had a drug problem…before. That stuff you gave him...to help him sleep..."

The doctor knew what she was getting at and placed her hand on Chase's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're monitoring him, it shouldn't be a setback."

Relieved, Chase went back to Jeff's bedside and held his hand. She didn't even notice the tears falling from her eyes, until she saw them wetting his arm. She picked his hand up to her mouth and kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere." She said before she rested her head on his stomach.

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Britain saw X in the waiting room, after getting her hand examined. Her hand hurt like a bitch! It wasn't like she had never been in a fight before, she and Croix fought all the time when they were younger; but this was different...she was actually trying to hurt Hunter when she hit him. Without saying anything she walked up to her best friend and embraced her tightly, letting all of the pain in her heart out on X's shoulder.

"Mami, your face...what happened?" X whispered to her friend. Britain couldn't even get the words out. X led her to a seat in the lobby and looked over Britain. She noticed the ace bandage wrapped tightly around her wrist, the bright red bruise on her face and small welt that was starting to form on the other cheek.

"It's over, Chris. He lied to me." Britain tried to straighten herself up, as she told X everything that happened.

"That fucking calbrone!" X yelled before getting looks by some of the nurses nearby. "He fucking hit you? And Dave...I don't believe that shit." To her Britain and Dave had been the last bastion of hope that true love really did exist. She had never seen two people happier, that actually really fit together. "He couldn't have meant that. He loves you." It didn't make sense...she had seen them together...if _anyone_ knew what bullshitting that you cared about someone looked like, it was X. She practically invented it.

Britain wiped her nose and gave a weak smile. "I thought so too."

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Chase heard the door open up slowly behind her. She turned around to see Britain walk in. "How's he doing?" Britain asked, not coming too close to the bed.

Chase shrugged and tried to keep from crying. She walked over to Britain and looked at her face. "Did he...did my father...?" She refused to believe that he would or could be so cruel, but then again, he had just put Jeff in the hospital; he could be capable of anything.

"No, he didn't do this. I don't want to talk about it." Britain said walking over to Jeff's bedside. Britain sat down and touched Jeff's hand. "I'm sorry this happened to you." She whispered. She looked over at Chase, who could hardly contain her emotions.

"Is he here? Did you bring him?" She asked trying to hold back her tears.

Britain shook her head at the younger girl. "We're not...we broke up." She finally got it out. It was harder to say than she imagined it would be. She felt like the air was being squeezed out of her lungs.

Chase started to ask her why, but when she saw Britain's eyes well with tears and the way that Britain turned quickly to look at Jeff before they fell; she knew it wasn't something that she wanted to talk about.

"Can you sit with him...just for a minute? I need to call his brother." Chase said pulling out her cell phone. Britain agreed and Chase walked out into the hall to make the call. She listened to Shannon's phone ring continuously. She had to call him, because she didn't know Matt's number.

Finally after five rings, Shannon answered laughing. "What up?" He said almost yelling into the phone.

"Shannon? Is Matt with you?" Chase asked not knowing how she was going to break the news.

"Who is this?" Shannon asked annoyed, thinking it was a fan that had somehow gotten his cell number _again._ Chase drew in a breath and blurted it out.

"It's Chase...Shannon, Jeff's been hurt." Before she could finish, she heard Shannon telling Matt that something was wrong with Jeff and then heard Matt's anxious voice on the line.

"Chase? I saw the match, what's wrong with Jeff?"

Chase tried to talk, but her voice gave out to the sobs that she hadn't yet been able to release. "It was real, Matt. My father...Dave attacked him." He wasn't her father anymore; she had to keep reminding herself. Her father would never do something like this. "He's in the hospital. He's got a punctured lung." She wasn't sure what Matt did, because the line went dead. She stood in the hall and cried, before Shannon called her back.

"Chase, what hospital? We're in Oregon now, we can be there in a few hours."

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"Ma? Mamita?" Britain yelled through her parents' house. She had removed her dark sunglasses with her bandaged hand, only for a moment as she entered the living room. She saw her mother waving to her and X from the patio and she walked outside. She had stayed the night at X's house, not yet ready to face her family and still not ready to go back to the hotel for her things. In fact, she had waited in the car when X went to check out of the hotel. It was just stuff, she could replace it; what she couldn't replace was her dignity and seeing John or Randy or Ric or God forbid Dave...well that just wouldn't do.

This was not the way she had planned on spending her mom's birthday. All she wanted was to cry to her mother, tell her everything that happened; but she couldn't... she couldn't tell her about her humiliation in front of all of them, she couldn't ruin her special day. Especially not while her grandparents were visiting from Baltimore, and her brother, Croix, had his new girlfriend over to celebrate.

Although she tried to act as normal as possible, smiling at everyone as soon as she was through the patio doors, as soon as her father noticed, the large black bruise on her cheek that was made when her face hit the floor, all hell broke lose. The large sunglasses she wore covered some of it, but it was still quite noticeable. The swollen red handprint was still quite visible on the other side of her face, as was the small cut from where her tooth made contact with the sensitive skin creating a nasty red mark on her cream colored lips.

Johan immediately walked over to his daughter and held her. He removed her sunglasses and looked at her bruised beautiful face. "Gott im Himmel, was geschah dir?" _'God in heaven, what happened to you?'_ She tried to smile, but the tears were starting to build behind her eyes; just feeling safe in her father's arms made her feel weak. "I'm ok, Vati." She said trying her best to put on a brave face for him.

"War es David, das dich verletzte?" '_Was it David that hurt you?'_ he asked pulling her close again.

She looked at her father's eyes, so full of worry. "Not to my face...but he hurt my heart." She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She wept against his embrace. She felt her brother's hand touch her back. Even Croix knew how much she was in love with Dave. He couldn't stop his heart from breaking as he saw his sister weep. Croix whispered soft words of encouragement in Britain's ear to which she cried harder.

Johan released his daughter. "He is at his hotel now?" His eyes had change to a dark shade of blue. She knew he was upset; her eyes turned the same color when she was. When she nodded, he walked into the house silently and grabbed his keys.

Mia ran after him telling him that he should not interfere, but Johan was the father of a daughter who was hurting; there was no reasoning with him. "What would you like me to do, hmmm? Sit here; when she's hurting? No. I go and I come back. You'll see." He kissed his wife's head and started for the door. He didn't turn around when he heard Britain screaming after him to stop. He got in his car and headed for the hotel in Anaheim.

Britain casually walked over to her grandparents and forced the fakest smile she could. " Abuelita...Grampy." She regarded them.

Her grandmother squeezed her jaws and inspected her face. She didn't ask any questions. "I get something for that face." She said walking into the kitchen.

"Abuelita...I'm fine." Britain called out to her, but the older woman threw up her hand and started rummaging through the freezer for something cold to stop the bruising.

Mia walked up to Britain and wrapped her in a tight hug. Britain smiled and put her head in the crook of her neck. Before she could stop it, the tears started to fall again. "Oh God, Ma... it was a lie; it was all a lie."

Mia rocked her weeping daughter in her arms. What could she say to make it better? Her daughter was heartbroken and she couldn't think of one thing to make it better. That's what mother's did, right? They kiss the boo-boos and make everything better. But there was no magic Band-aid for a broken heart. "I know he loves you, and you love him. You both just have to work it out." She cupped Britain's face in her hand. She smoothed her hair and tried to smile.

"He said all he wanted from me was sex...that's all I was to him, an easy lay." She never used that language around her parents, but right now she didn't care. "Am I that stupid?"

Mia poked out her lip at her daughter and shook her head. "You're not stupid at all, baby. You're in love."

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Jeff's hand stroked Chase's hair causing her to open her eyes. He gave her a faint smile, through is parched lips. "You're here." He said in a faint voice.

She smiled at him, inspecting his green eyes to make sure _he_ was really all there. "Where else would I be?" She touched the bruise on his cheek and lightly ran her thumb over it. Jeff breathed deeply, but the pain that caused made him cough.

How did things get so fucked up? He was sure that when he woke up, she would be long gone. She knew about Kelly now, and yet she stayed...why? Maybe because she didn't know the whole story and she was just sticking around to find out. Either way, he knew that he would have to tell her, even if it meant losing her. Then there was Dave; he knew he didn't want Chase there and if she were that could only mean one thing...

"Where's your father?" He asked trying to shift his weight in the bed.

Chase's eyes dropped and she held his hand tighter. "I don't have a father...not anymore."

Jeff's eyes closed. This is not what he wanted. It was one thing to sneak around behind Dave's back, but for her to completely disown him was something different entirely. "Yes you do...and he loves you. He just wants to protect you." He watched as she shook her head.

"If he loved me, he wouldn't have hurt you." She listened silently as Jeff tried to explain to her that she was wrong and that she shouldn't let him come between her and her family. She placed her finger over his lips. "Shhh. You need your rest." Still keeping her finger on his mouth, she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on them. "We can argue about this when you're feeling better."

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Dave let the warm spray of the shower wash away his agony. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about the way he fucked up. First there was Chase; he knew that she would come around...after she realized what type of person Jeff really was. With any luck, after this little revelation, she would be long gone from him. It would be only be a matter of time before Jeff started using again, and then she would see...and when she did, he wouldn't rub her nose in it. No, he would forgive her, because that's what fathers do. _You're not my real father..._ what the fuck did that mean? He was the only father she knew, the only father that _wanted_ her. He gave up everything to be her father; he was 21 when he adopted her. 21 for Christ sake! He was a child himself, just barely old enough to buy a beer without getting carded and here he was the new father of 2 year old, not to mention the husband of a woman that didn't know her ass from a whole in the ground. But he did it... out of love. If Chase couldn't understand that his job was to protect her...well, she would; sooner or later, she would.

Then there was Britain. He knew her, knew her temper...she would never forgive him; not after this. He tried to call her at least a thousand times, but what could he say to her? There was no excuse or explanation he could give; not after the way he hurt her. He could still see the hurt in her eyes. He knew what he did was wrong, not because of what he said, but because of how hard it was for her to trust his love.

He thought back to the time when he first told her he loved her. The look of fear and pain in her eyes was enough to break his heart right then and there.

_He had been dating her for a little over six months, when he tore his triceps. It wasn't the first time he'd done it and the surgery that followed was long and the recovery was hard. He heard her talking on the phone to her agent, in between his lucid moments. "That's right...I don't care, they can get someone else to do it...I know, but it's only 3 weeks. I know, Pierre'll be pissed, but I'm sure Heidi or someone else can fit it in...no, I'm taking 3 weeks; someone needs me." When she came back in his bedroom, she told him that he was stuck with her for 3 weeks and she was going to take care of him._

_His last girlfriend wouldn't have done that. She was so stuck on herself and more concerned about what he could do for her. She would have high-tailed it out of there so fast, that he wouldn't be able to see her leave for the dust she would have kicked up. Yet, Britain didn't do that...she actually took time off to stay with him._

_When he awoke sometime later, Maddy was sitting with him. He had the feeling that Britain had left; but was surprised when Maddy said it was only to go shopping. She promised to take care of him, but she'd left him to left him to shop? He was quickly embarrassed to find out that it was for food and DVDs so they would have something to do while he got better._

_He let a smile tickle his face as he thought about how she looked in the kitchen teaching Maddy how to dance to Otis Reading, playing on the stereo. "You gotta move slow...and your hips let 'em sway. You can only dance like this to Otis, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gay." Maddy soaked up the advice although the 14 year old had no idea who these artist were. In fact he was surprise that someone who was 25 would appreciate the great ones. _

_"This is baby making music." She laughed twirling his young daughter around the kitchen. "One day, you'll fall in love and you'll know exactly what I mean by that." He saw the look on her face, when she realized that he had been watching them. _

_"She's never getting older, nor falling in love...and she will never know the meaning of baby making music!" He laughed startling the two girls dancing._

_Britain turned to him and gave him a firm "talking to" about being out of bed. But he couldn't concentrate on that, because his house smelled like heaven, love and laughter...like soul food. He peeked around her and noticed, pots steaming the oven on and something else brewing on the stove. "What's for dinner?" He asked taking a seat at the kitchen table._

_"Fried chicken, string beans, cannied yams and corn bread." She smiled, knowing that he would have a fit because nothing on that menu was healthy. She never understood why a man that big ate the healthy crap he did, where she was more inclined to have a feast at McDonalds. "You won't be able to work out for awhile, so you need some food that'll stick to your ribs." She laughed._

_He licked his lips at the prospect. He only allowed himself to indulge on food like that every once in a blue moon. But that night, the moon must have been cobalt. _

_"How come you don't measure anything?" Maddy asked handing Britain the milk. He watched as she shrugged and explained that when you cook from the heart, you just know how much to add. He also noticed that she didn't cook by recipe either...she just knew what she was doing. It was something about seeing her so domestic that made his heart do summersaults. When Emily came for Maddy, Britain hugged her and told her to practice dancing to Otis; because she would need it do it sooner or later._

He shifted uncomfortably in the shower as he felt the sting of fresh tears come to his eyes with more of the memory. The way her back stiffened up when he told her, the way her head dropped down...

_She was taking the corn bread out of the oven, She was singing "Try A Little Tenderness" paying him no attention at all. He couldn't take his eyes off her long hair, which was hanging in a low pony tail, showing her elegant long neck. He couldn't place the color of her skin, not bronze like his, but more of a cream, touched with hazel. It wasn't until he met her mother that he understood just where that color came from. Her hands moved gracefully and expertly over the pots as she stirred the food and he let his eyes roam lower. Her soft black hair looked like waves of raven curtaining down her back, stopping just a few inches from her tail bone...that is before she took 6 inches off several weeks later; something he was pissed about. The tank top she was wearing, stopped about two inches before her jeans, giving him just the slightest hint of the small of her back. Her was waist so small... and even lower, a round, firm backside that he had to resist the urge to run his hand over. She stood barefoot, cooking; she looked comfortable...at home._

_She turned around, startled by how intensely he stared. "What's that goofy grin for?" She asked, smiling back at him. _

_He couldn't deny it anymore...he loved her. It was something in that moment, just watching her, not doing anything seductive or sexual, but just cooking him dinner, that made him realized that he needed her. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Before he noticed, the words were already out of his mouth. "I love you." He said it with a goofy love sick smile._

_The look on her face was not exactly something he was expecting...maybe for her to return the sentiment, but not a look of anger. He watched as her smile slowly dropped and her back tightened. Her eyes fell to the floor and she whipped around toward the sink, throwing the dish towel down. She shook her head and spoke to him with her back turned. "Don't say things you don't mean." _

_He was shocked. What the hell did that mean? He just told her he loved her and he managed to make her angry? How did that happen?_

_Painfully, he arose from the chair; his cursed arm rendered immobile, bandaged tightly to his body to restrict movement...still every movement he made he could feel as the muscle contracted. He walked over to her and stood behind her. He breathed in her hair...coconut. "I love you. I love everything about you." With his left arm, he moved her hair over to one shoulder and gently placed a kiss just below her ear. "I love your hair, the color of your eyes, your smile...I love the way you are with my girls, the way you want to take care of me." He turned her around to face him. He noticed the glassy color her eyes took on; that's when he knew. "And I love the fact that you're in love with me too." He gave her a tender smile, before placing a soft kiss on her lips._

_"I think you've had too much pain medicine." She tried to laugh and managed to wiggle away from him, making herself unavailable to continue the conversation because she had to fix their plates._

_As he ate he watched her play with her food. He had gotten to her...found out her secret, and he knew it._

_It wasn't until later that night, when she climbed in bed next to him, did he tell her again. She had just settled next to him, putting her arm across his chest as she closed her eyes to sleep. "I love you." He said titling her face towards him. He saw that look again, the one that he couldn't quite place. "What are you afraid of?" She'd told him before about her past, but it was more than that...there was something else._

_"I don't want to get hurt." She said quietly, causing a smile to cross his lips. _

_My God, she thinks I'm going to hurt her, when she's got me in the palm of her hands, he thought. Although he too was unsure of where their future was headed, he knew that no matter where it was, he wanted her by his side. "I'll never hurt you." His words came out a whisper as he felt her lips brush over his. He wanted to make love to her, to consummate their relationship; but that damned arm forbade it. Arm bandaged or not, his body responded when he felt her hand travel past the bandages on his chest, over his stomach onto his groin. A small gasp escaped from him as he watched her crawl down and kneel on the bed before him to pay homage to his manhood._

_He knew that this was something she didn't take lightly, for she had never done it to him before. What he didn't know is it was something she hadn't done in years...not since she was 18 and wanted to go backstage to meet Soundgarden. There had been a random bouncer, who wouldn't let her go back. He was cute, young...but he pulled her hair, he shoved himself so far into her mouth that she thought she would be sick. No, this was not something she'd done in a long time because she felt degraded and worthless afterward. _

_He let his eyes shut feeling the soft and warm of her mouth surround him, but soon opened them when he felt her stare. _

_"I love you too." She whispered before taking him again. _

_He couldn't hold back as he began to protest that she move because he couldn't stop. But she didn't move, she took him...all of him, his very essence...his soul. She crawled back up to his lips and kissed him softly. "Now you're mine forever." His words made her smile as he laid beside her, stroking her face._

_Damn that arm! It stood in the way of showing her, just how much he loved her; but he watched as she let her own hands trail down her body until they found that part of her that needed them the most. He watched her, never taking his eyes off hers for more than an instant so he could watch her hands. He saw her face explode with pleasure as she neared release. He kissed her, trying to soak up as much of her impending climax as he could. He rolled sorely on his bad arm so he take her breast into his mouth...adding to her state of urgency. It was the most beautiful thing he had experienced with her so far. A gentle whisper of "I love you" sent her over the edge, causing her to say his name, for in her mind, it had been his hands...his body making her feel that way._

Now he was without it. He was without her warmth, her smile, the coconut scent of her hair...but more importantly he was without her love. This wouldn't do, he had no idea what would...but this definitely would not.

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"We must talk." Dave was stunned out of his melancholy by a strong German accent. He had no idea how long Johan had been waiting for him in the lobby, but the look on his face said that he wasn't going anywhere. Dave pushed his hands in his pockets and followed Johan into the bar of the hotel. It was ironic to see her father sitting there...waiting...bruiting...planning his massacre, for he was on his way to find her and he was going to start at Johan's house.

He wanted to ask her father a million different questions; he just needed to know if she were alright. But he couldn't get past the look on his face, a look that he could understand. He was a father too, and if had been one of his girls that were hurt...let's just say that he wouldn't have had to put under the jail. "Is she ok?" Dave's voice was low as the guilt seeped through with every word.

"_You_ hurt her heart and _you_ let someone else put zer hands on her? Would you be ok?" Johan's gaze squeezed the air out of Dave's lungs.

How could he just stand by and let Hunter hit her? He should have stopped her when he saw her charging after him. They all knew how Hunter could be, but he couldn't even force himself to apologize.

Dave lowered his eyes and tried to explain how and why everything transpired. He told Johan about Chase and Jeff and more importantly Jeff's past. He told him that he was upset that Britain didn't trust him enough to let _him_ handle his daughter's relationship.

Johan sat back and shook his head. He had heard enough of Dave's excuses. If it was not for the fact that Britain was in love with him, he would have treated him with the same disrespect that he treated Jeff. "So all you did was to protect your daughter? Do you understand zat everything you wanted to save your Chase from, you did to my Britain?"

Dave's heart sank, he hadn't thought of it, not like that. Everything he didn't want to happen to Chase, humiliation, hurt, violation...he had done to Britain in a few short sentences. He had taken all of the trust that she had in him and spit on it, he had used the fact that she was in love with him to break her heart...he did it on purpose. Even if he didn't use those exact words, he knew her well enough to know that's what she heard. Then there was her temper to contend with. When she had her mind made up, there was no changing it; she held a grudge. There was no such thing as forgive and forget with her, she simply cut people out of her life. "How can I make this right?" He looked to Johan as a father, being that his own died when he was so young. What could he say to change her mind? At this point, if she wanted him to sleep on a bed of nails, he would, just to prove that he did love her.

"Come. You must talk to her." Johan stood up and escorted Dave to the parking lot.

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"Tell me about Kelly." Chase said after Matt had left Jeff's hospital room. He was going to stay in California until Jeff was well enough to leave the hospital, then he would be taking Jeff home to Cameron to finish his recovery. Although Jeff didn't want to go home, he knew that he couldn't take care of himself, and with Chase being in school...at least in Cameron, his dad could look out for him.

Jeff sighed. He knew that she was going to ask about Kelly sooner or later. If there relationship was going to survive, she had to know, he just wished it hadn't come down to this. He sat upright against his pillows and took in a deep breath. There was no way to sugar coat the story; Dave was right, Kelly got hurt and it was his fault. Now how could he make Chase see that without losing her?

"I didn't really know her...she was this fan, she won some radio contest in Raleigh, 'win a date with your favorite WWF superstar' or something like that." He tried to choose his words carefully, trying to leave out the most gruesome parts of the story.

"How old was she?" Chase asked, trying to steady her breaths. She had let her imagination run wild since she had heard the little piece of the story that Dave had given her the day before.

Jeff could feel the tears start in the back of his eyes. He tried so hard never to think about Kelly or that night. Every time he did, he felt sick...he wanted to cry...he wanted to hurt himself, like they had hurt her. "She just turned 16...she won that stupid contest on her birthday." He closed his eyes. He could see the little dark haired girl, she was young all giggly and screamed at everything. She was like those typical teenage fans that faint at the sight of boy bands. She was cute, real cute...if she had been a little bit older, he would have considered taking her out. He could still see the little white Oxford shirt, tied up at the waist and the plaid skirt she wore, with the socks that stopped just above her knee and the black and white saddle shoes. She had that trashy Catholic school girl look down to perfection. She had short black hair, that was cut in a boyish style, but it looked really cute on her. She even had a little diamond stud in her nose, he remembered because he could see the way it sparkled every time they moved her.

Chase noticed that Jeff was somewhere else. "What happened, Jeff?" She watched as his licked his lips and opened his eyes. She saw the tears rolling on the rims of his eyelids, as he tried to choke them back.

"It wasn't supposed to happen. She told me she was my biggest fan." How could he tell Chase? She was going to hate him forever, but the look in her eyes told him that if he didn't tell her she would hate him more. "She brought all these pictures of her room...she had all these posters of me and Matt all over her walls. She even had some of just me with hearts drawn around them." He smiled at the thought; this little girl was infatuated with him. It was supposed to be a simple dinner, then he would take her home. That's what the contracted rules for the contest were, that's what her parents agreed to; she didn't deserve what happened...no one did.

"That was the same night that D-Von was leaving and we had this big party for him; even your dad came to it." He watched as Chase pursed her lips at the mention of Dave. "She didn't wanna go home after we had dinner; she was actually kinda fun to talk to. If I would have just taken her home..." If he would have just taken her home, none of this would have happened. She would still have been a little girl with stories to tell her friends about how Jeff Hardy took her to dinner and how sweet he had been to her. But, no, he _had_ to make a stop first...he _had _to pick up his friends. They were all going to the party _after _he dropped Kelly home. But that would mean taking her home then going all the way across town to pick them up, only to drive past her house again to get to the party. Besides, he knew that Joe had coke and he hadn't gotten high since before he picked her up.

He sighed again, thinking about how much bigger his five friends were than her; how she was squished in the front seat of his truck between him and Joe, just so the others could fit in the back. But she didn't seem to mind, she was practically on Jeff Hardy's lap and it was just fine with her. "My friends were real nice to her. They didn't want her to leave; hell she didn't want to go home. They told her about this party we were goin' to and she heard that some of the guys would be there...she was so excited to meet more wrestlers. She begged me...she fuckin' begged me, Chase." The tears were freely flowing at by now. He couldn't stop them, if he wanted to. He had never told anybody about that night, not even Matt. Although everybody knew what happened, he never talked about it.

"She stuck to me when we got there, because she didn't know nobody else. I tried to get rid of her so I could do a few lines, but she came in the room. I had some 'shrooms before I went in, but they were takin' too long to kick in. I just needed somethin' to take the edge off...it was suppose to be just a few lines." But he had to have a few beers too. Not to mention all of the shit his friends were doing and had done before he came to get them.

He looked over at Chase and noticed that she was crying too. She could almost imagine how it went down, what terror was about to strike this little girl and was almost horrified to know that Jeff had been anywhere near it. "God, it was so dark and cold in that room, but it was the only place we could go so no one would know we were back there gettin' ripped. There were all these boxes on the floor, from deliveries and stuff...and there was table, with this light above it; like the ones you see in those old movies with the police interrogations." He trailed off again, remembering how that light bounced off the small ring in her nose. The thought made him want to vomit.

"She wanted to try it. You know, see what gettin' high was like. I was so fucked up, by then, that I handed her the plate." He could still hear the snorting sounds she made as she tried her first line, then the louder sound with her second. "She didn't feel nothin' at first, so she did some more... her nose started bleedin'." It was _Jeff_ that suggested that she take off her shirt and hold it up to her nose. It was _his_ fault that she enticed the others. "She had on a white bra with a little pink flower in the front, it was actually kinda sweet. She started sweatin' real bad. Joe gave her beer to cool her off and XTC to calm her down." She had never gotten high before. If Jeff were in his right mind, he would have stopped them, told them there were too many things in her system. But he couldn't stop laughing; it was funny to see her try to handle her first high.

He put his hand on his forehead, to try to relieve the pressure in his brow, but the tension wasn't going away. It should have been cathartic to talk about it, but it was more painful than even he remembered. "Chuck, wanted to dance with her. We could here the music in the other room...but she was weak and needed to sit down. He put her on the table so she could rest. By the time the plate was passed back to me, her skirt was bunched up at her waist and Chuck was on top of her. I could hear her calling my name...she was screaming it, Chase. But I couldn't move...I had to finish my line. He hit her so hard. I remember seeing the blood on her face and it made all these weird shapes and it was different shades of red." _Jeff, please...!_ The sound was like nails on a chalkboard to him. It took months before he could get her screams out of his head. "Jimmy was next. He put his...he made her...She fuckin' wore braces...every time they scraped him, he'd hit her." He could hear the choking sounds she made as this bigger man kept her shoulders pinned to the table with his knees. He could hear his other friends laugh and chant 'swallow, swallow, swallow...'

"By the time Max got to her, she only had a little fight left in her. It was 5 of them Chase. Five guys all bigger and stronger and high out of their minds. And Max is a big boy, 250 pounds of fat. He hit her and kept on until she stopped screaming...she stopped moving all together. I still don't know if she passed out or if he knocked her out; but they all had a turn. I just sat there, looking at the blood, looking at the way the light shined on ring in her nose make all sparkles on the wall."

Chase didn't want to hear anymore, but she couldn't tell him to stop. She had to know it all; it was like watching an accident on the highway...you don't want to look, but you have to.

"Somebody had to use the bathroom, but they came in the wrong door. They saw us in there, with her...Dave was the one, who picked her up off the table and covered her up. He held her until the police came. I swear I saw him cryin'... I might just be makin' that up. I was so high I didn't know what happened until the next day. Even Matt wouldn't talk to me. I got charged with possession, contributin' to the delinquency of a minor, giving a controlled substance to a minor and child endangerment. But I was lucky, because me and Matt had the money for a good lawyer. I only got rehab and 1000 hours community service. Chuck and them at 10 years." He had lost just about everything at that point...his friends, the respect his family had in the community, his job at WWF. "She was in the hospital for weeks; she couldn't have babies no more. I don't know what was worse, what they did to her or the way she looked at me at the trial." He neverously licked his lips. "You're dad was right about me. You're too good to be with me. But I swear on my mother's grave...if I could have said somethin' at the trial, I would have told her how sorry I was and everythin' that happened that night was my fault...I sent her family money afterward, to help pay for the medical bills. But the checks all came back." He studied the threads on his blanket, afraid to make eye contact. "I tried to make it right, Chase. I tried." And finally looking over at Chase, he told her the rest of the story. "She killed herself." That admission made Chase's eyes close and her head shake involuntarily.

Chase reached out to wipe his tears. "I never meant for her to get hurt, Chase. I'm so sorry that she did...I'm so sorry." He finally broke down into a sob; the sob that he needed to get out for the past 3 years. And finally when it was over, he watched Chase walk out of the room.

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Hunter woke up slowly, trying desperately to open his eyes that had been beaten shut. He could hear breathing in the room, but whenever he spoke no one answered. It wasn't until he heard the scraping of the chair against the floor; he knew for sure he was not alone.

"Why?" He recognized the voice immediately. He felt a sigh a relief that was Ric and not Dave to finish the job. He sighed and turned toward the voice only seeing a shade of the man himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but his swollen lip made speaking hard.

"What's my damage?" He asked, avoiding the question.

Ric sighed. "You'll live. You got a fractured cheek bone, bruised kidney and some other bumps...but you'll go on to terrorize someone else's life."

Hunter laughed, although it hurt.

"Why did you hit her?" Ric asked glaring at Hunter. Now, he had been one to argue with women, call them out of their names...but to lay hands on one that was out of the question.

"That bitch got what she deserved."

It was at that moment that he heard a gasp, a very distinct high pitched gasp...belonging to a woman. "You're not the man I married." She said before running out of the room.

Hunter slammed his fist down on the bed. Had he known she was there, he would have made up some excuse as to why he let his anger get the best of him. "Steph!" he yelled out, but she was gone. It was not until he noticed the silence of the room, did he realize that Ric had left after her.

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Britain's heart stopped beating as she watched him walk in the door behind her father. Never taking her eyes off him, she spoke to her father so that he wouldn't understand. "Warum ist er hier?" '_Why is he here?'_

Her father walked up to her and hugged her. "Because you must talk." He turned toward Dave, who stood by the front door with his head down.

"Ich möchte nicht mit ihm sprechen." _'I don't want to talk to him.'_ She said trying not to cry. Her father kissed her head and walked into the kitchen, trying to stop Mia from running interference. "Vati, please!" She pleaded, but to no avail.

Britain watched him walk away, she would deal with him later. She turned back to Dave and looked in the eye. "What do you want?" She was so cold, he had never heard her speak to anyone like that before; not even Hunter. Oh, this definitely went beyond getting yelled at for not taking out the trash.

He noticed her face, the bruises that were there...evidence that last night hadn't been just a really bad dream. He walked to her and touched her cheek. "Baby...your face..."

She moved her head away from his hand. How dare he try to touch her? He had lost that privilege! "My face is fine...what do you want?" If he would just say what he wanted and leave, she might actually be able to make it through the day without crying again. But he was just standing there, entirely too close for her liking...looking at her, with those eyes. No matter how hard a front she put on the outside, she was dying on the inside.

"I want to talk to you." He said in a voice that was soft and full of every ounce of love he had for her.

She laughed. "I think you've said enough already."

He let out a breath; he had his work cut out for him. He pleaded with her eyes, looking for some sign of forgiveness. "I was angry and I tried to hurt you. But I didn't mean it...I didn't mean anything I said."

"Which part was a lie, David?" She asked crossing her arms. "The part when you told me that you loved me...or was it when you promised you'd never hurt me...or how about when you asked me to marry you?" This was not the way it was suppose to go. She was supposed to understand. "You're good at lying aren't you? You should quit wrestling and start acting...you do it so well."

He could hear by her voice that she was on the verge of crying. He promised never to make her cry and up until this point he had kept his word.

"Do you know why I never told you about Chase and Jeff."

What? Did she just admit to keeping this from him? "You knew?"

His voice was suddenly louder, making Mia practically run out of the kitchen to kick his ass for raising his voice at her. Thankfully, Johan stopped her.

"Of course I knew. You didn't think it was strange I'd ask Chase to house sit? Have I ever needed a house-sitter before?"

Dave turned around and ran his fingers through his hair. Here he was trying to apologize when she was keeping shit this serious from him. She had crossed the line.

"I didn't tell you because I was happy for her. I wished that she would be lucky enough to find at least a fraction of what I thought we had." Her words hit him hard. He turned to her to see tears slowly crawling down her face.

He reached out to touch them but she moved away. "Baby...I'm sorry. I love you." He whispered close to her face.

Britain's mouth dropped open as the tears started to flow faster. "My God...you're still trying to get me in bed, aren't you?" How could she think that? Because he told her that's how he got her there in the first place! "I've had a lot of guys treat me like shit...but at least I knew where I stood. But I have never _felt_ like a whore until now."

"Babe." He couldn't steady his voice. He wished he could go back in time and change what he'd said to her.

"What do you want from me, David? You've had your fun; got your laughs...you've fucked me...what's left?"

He couldn't leave, not until this was settled. "Babe...please?" He could only whisper by now, because if he spoke any louder he would cry.

"Leave, David. Just go." She whispered back. It would be so much easier when he was gone.

"Britain...don't do this." He cursed the tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"Leave." She said feeling the strength of her anger, hurt and humiliation guide her.

He shook his head...he would not leave, because if he did, he knew that they were truly over. "I love you and you love me too...you can't tell me you don't love me." He knew she didn't lie and she would be a damned liar if she did.

"I don't love you. Now get out." The anger in her face didn't suit her beauty. It was raw and real, but he couldn't make his feet move. "Get out! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" She yelled pushing him in the chest.

He grabbed her and held her close to him, apologizing repeatedly. It was not until her grandfather touched her arm did she get out of Dave's tight embrace.

She wept on her Grampy's shoulder as he looked at Dave. "You need to go." Grampy said in a deep voice, showing Dave that no matter how big he was or what he meant to Britain, he was not welcomed.

Dave turned and left unable to stop his heart from crying. He sat in his car for a few minutes until he was able to drive to the airport.

This wasn't over.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Dave sat in the living room of his home, the home that he was supposed to be sharing with Britain, shaking his head at the phone. He still hadn't taken down the large sign that she made for him; it still hung over the front door: _Welcome to **our **home! _And it broke his heart every time he looked at it. It had been a month without so much as a word from Chase or Britain and the loneliness was making him crazy. He'd called Britain several times, only to leave long messages on her answering machine; messages that she never answered.

"Come on, bro, I don't have a birthday party everyday you know, I gotta get my groove on while I still can." Randy was pleased to hear a small laugh from Dave's mouth. He had talked to him on the phone everyday since that night in Anaheim, and everyday he sounded more lost.

Randy convinced Dave that getting out would be good for him. Hell, he now had 90 days off after the Hunter attack, what else was he going to do? A person can only go to so many soccer and volley ball games. Knowing Dave, he was smothering his other daughters to make up for not talking to Chase.

"It's not even your birthday...you had it in April, remember?"

Randy sighed, so what if it wasn't his real birthday, it was his _unbirthday_. Why did everyone need a reason to have a party anyway? "I don't care...we didn't get to do anything in April. Besides, how often can I get John to pay for something? This party's his idea...drink all you want, that fucker's paying."

"Randy, I want you have a good time; I'm not much fun right now."

Randy laughed, "Bro, you're never fun...but that's why I need you there. You gotta keep me out of trouble." Randy thought if he should say it or not. "Britain will be there."

Dave sat up straight; he could feel his heart start to race. "She won't talk to me." No matter how much he hoped that he could get through to her, he knew his apologies fell on deaf ears.

"Well, you gotta make her talk to you. I'll get you in the same room; all you have to do is convince her you were a dick." Randy laughed. They may have all teased him about how he was with her, but every one of them, even Hunter, knew that he was in love with her. "Your ticket is at the airport, courtesy of Cena. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up before Dave could change his mind. Randy turned to John, who had just hung up with Christina, "Done."

John smiled, "This better work."

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"I don't want to go." Britain unpacked the bag that Christina had just packed for her.

"Come on, chica, it'll be fun." X said putting the items back in the bag.

Britain sat down; she was tired of going over this. It's not that she didn't want to celebrate Randy's birthday with him; although she could have sworn that his birthday passed already...it's that she knew that Dave would be there.

Christina sighed and grabbed her hand. "Think about it, you and me...Atlantic City...we're cute, young and single...think of how much trouble we could get into."

"How are you going to get in trouble if John's there?" Britain still wasn't really sure what this _thing_ between John and X was all about. If anything, she was surprised that John called X to invite them. John wasn't the type to actually call anybody back after he took them to bed.

"Oh, I'll find a way." X laughed. "Besides, I'm not seeing him. It was one night, no harm no foul." She sat next to her best friend on the bed, "...he told me that Dave hadn't been invited." She watched as Britain looked up with hopeful eyes. She jumped up and clapped. "We can drink, dance on some tables and find the finest Vatos there...just like back in the day." She wiggled her eyebrows and pulled Britain off the bed to help her finish packing.

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"BODY SHOTS!" John yelled over the music, in the ballroom of the Radison Hotel. Randy's unbirthday party was in full swing. There had to have been about 200 people at this party, and he and Randy didn't know half of them. It didn't matter really, little did Randy know, he was getting the bill for half of the party anyway.

Britain was surprised that she was actually having a good time; then again, after, 4 beers, 3 screwdrivers and 13 shots of Tequila, who doesn't have a good time?

John pulled X off of the table that she and Britain were dancing on. "Come on...it's body shot time." He wiggled his eyes at her.

"I want Brit to do it." She motioned for Britain to come down. "Let's show these boys how it's done." Both she and Britain were drunk beyond belief, but they were having so much fun. The music was loud, filled with heavy baselines, there was food, free liquor and they had no where else they needed to be.

Just as Britain started to jump off the table, she spotted him, walking in the door. She suddenly felt her abs clinch at the sight of him. He was wearing the blue jeans and short sleeve lyrca shirt that she had bought him in LA. That was the shirt that showed every one of his muscles and looked like it was painted on him. Pissed at him or not, she couldn't help but to lick her lips at the sight of him in that shirt. S

She sucked in her breath and jumped down and grabbed the salt shaker from John. She poured salt on X's neck and took a shot of Tequila off of the tray that he was holding, while X put the lime in her mouth. Slowly, keeping her eyes on Dave, she licked the salt of off Christina before wrapping her entire mouth around the rim of the glass and tossing it back without the use of her hands. She swallowed down the liquid as X removed the glass from her mouth, then wrapping her arms around X's waist, she leaned down and took the lime out of her mouth, making sure to kiss her slowly as she did.

Randy screamed louder than everyone, at watching these two beautiful women make out. X and Britain laughed and hugged just as X grabbed John to do a shot off of him.

Britain's smile dropped as she saw Dave approach her. "Dance with me." She said to Randy, leaving Dave standing there alone.

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Dave stood close enough to hear as Britain tried to get Randy to take her to bed. "I didn't get you anything for your birthday." She told him.

He shrugged and laughed. "It's not really my birthday, I don't need anything."

The way she tossed her hair over her shoulder and pressed herself closer to him, made Dave's muscles tighten; although he knew Randy was helpless in all of this, just seeing her act like that with him, pissed Dave off.

"Everyone needs presents on their birthday. If you take me to your room, I bet I can think of something to give you." She whispered drunkenly to Randy.

Randy motioned Dave over to them. "I think you better take her upstairs."

Dave watched as Britain grabbed another drink off the tray that was floating by them. "I think you've had enough. Let me take you to your room."

"I don't wanna go to my room... I wanna go to Randy's room." She laughed slurring Randy's name. She pushed her body against Randy's and grabbed the back of his neck before kissing him softly on the lips.

Randy backed away from the kiss. "I don't think that's such a good idea." The last thing he needed was to catch an ass whipping from Dave for his girl being all over him.

Britain frowned. "You sure? You're missing out." There was a distinct giggle in her voice. "I got a mouth like a Hoover..." She turned to Dave and looked in him in the eye and starting to smile. "...just ask Dave. That's what you said, right?"

He closed his eyes, remembering the day they were in bed together, teasing each other about the sex that had just had. It was all in jest, and she knew it; now she was using his words to hurt him.

Dave stepped in closer standing between Britain and Randy. "Come on. Let me take you upstairs."

"I wanna go with Randy."

Dave felt his anger growing, he wasn't angry at what she said, he was angry because she was trying to put herself in a situation that she would live to regret. "Then we'll both take upstairs." He said calmly turning to see Randy nodding his head in agreement.

This wasn't going exactly how Randy had planned; he had wanted them to talk not for Britain to be wasted and trying to through herself at him.

Britain laughed at Dave and pushed him away. "You wanna fuck me too? You want me to do _both_ of you?" She raised her eyebrows and let her tongue dart out over her bottom lip. "That's all I'm good for, right?" She chugged back the shot then started towards the bar for another, pulling him by the arm. "Come on Big Dave, I'll let you fuck me... only... Randy goes first." In her drunken mind, she had every intention of doing both of them, then maybe the pain would go away. But if it was going to go down like that, she had to be drunker than she was at the time.

Dave stopped walking and grabbed her by the waist.

"Get the fuck off me." She said snatching her body away.

He was pissed, he couldn't believe that after all of the shit they had been through together, it had all boiled down to this. He tried being calm with her, he tried to appeal to her drunken senses, but in the end, his anger got the best of him. "Either I can walk you upstairs, or I can carry you; either way, you've had enough!"

Britain laughed and picked up another drink. She put it to her lips as he took it away from her and put her over his shoulder to carry her out of the room. How dare he think that he had the right to tell her what to do? And the fact that he was acting like a bruit really pissed her off. She hit him in the head and kicked him in the stomach with the point of her high heeled boot, screaming at him to put her down

"Would you fucking stop? You're acting like a child!" He yelled, as he started to pace the floor trying to figure out what exactly to do with her.

"Well then, it's a good thing that you don't have to put up with it anymore, isn't it." Britain quickly felt her buzz wearing off. "Just leave me alone." She pleaded with him sadly, trying to balance herself on her own feet. She watched as he put his hands in his hair and walked away from her. She slid down to the floor and closed her eyes.

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Randy ran to find Dave. "Bro, Britain passed out in the hallway." Randy's voice was almost frantic. He had gone to make sure that she had made it back to her room when he saw Dave come back into the ballroom so fast. But no sooner did he round the corner, did he see her laying flat on the floor, unconscious. Randy ran through the ballroom with Dave to lead him back to where she laid.

Dave bent down and picked her up off of the floor, sighing when he felt her arm come around his neck. It felt good to hold her, even if she was a drunken mess. The only problem was, they didn't know where to take her. X had gone off with John and neither he nor Randy knew what room she was staying in. Dave also knew if he took her to his room, all hell would break loose, if that's where she woke up. Out of shear desperation, Dave and Randy settled on taking her back to Randy's room.

"Babe?" Dave's voice was so soft, it made Randy smile. He could tell how much he cared for her.

She opened her eyes and pushed him away. "Please, leave me alone."

Randy's heart sank as he watched Dave get up and walk towards the door. Randy walked over to the bed and smiled at Britain. "You ok?" He asked her stroking her hair.

Britain's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. "He doesn't love me." She cried, making Dave turn around and look at her. His heart broke watching Randy hold her against his chest.

"Yes he does. He was just being a fuck up." Randy did his best to calm her, although he knew that was not him she wanted to do it.

"It hurts, Randy...it hurts so bad."

He pulled her away and wiped her tears with his thumb. He gave her a small smile, not the cocky one like he normally did; but a genuine smile. "I know it does." He laid her back on the bed as she tried to calm herself down.

"I love him so much...why doesn't he love me?" She asked before closing her eyes and settling to sleep.

Randy continued to stroke her back until she was asleep. He walked over to Dave who stood there with tears rolling down his face. "You need to fix this." For Randy to be a guy that often joked around, he meant every word of what he said.

Dave turned around, opened the door and walked away.

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Randy banged on John's door, finding he and X in flagrante delicto. "You were supposed to be helping..." He said pushing past John, noticing Christina on the bed. "and your in here... fucking?"

John smiled at his friend. "Hey this was your idea. I'm always down for a party."

Randy leaned against the dresser, determined he wasn't leaving until John did something to help out. "Where's GQ now?" John asked regretting that he would have to tell Christina he was leaving.

Randy sighed. "He fucking left. She's a mess...she's drunker than you and she's all crying and shit. He needs to talk to her."

X laughed. "You don't know my girl. She ain't gonna talk to him. If he was on fire, she wouldn't piss on it to put him out. He's been cut!" She couldn't stop laughing.

John buttoned his jeans and leaned over to X. "I'll be back...I'll make it up to you, I promise." He kissed her and smiled and walked out into the hallway with Randy.

Randy looked at his friend strangely. John almost looked happy, and not that sex happy, but really happy that she would still be in his room when he got back happy. "What's the deal?" He asked pointing toward John's door.

John shook his head. "I don't know man, but I can't get her off my mind." They walked and talked about X until they reached Dave's door. The door was already open and they were surprised at what they found inside.

Dave Batista, usually the king of calm was in the midst of thoroughly trashing his hotel room. He had taken the pictures off the walls, thrown the TV on the floor, kicked over the mini bar and now he was beating the shit out of the vases with the end of picture frame.

John grabbed Dave from behind, while Randy removed the weapon from his hands. "What the fuck's wrong with you?" Dave turned around and pushed John against the wall. He was on a roll, he'd kick John's ass too if need be. "Your girl is in his room and you're in here having a fucking tantrum?" John said pointing toward Randy.

Dave let John go and walked over to the bed. He put covered his face with his hands. He wasn't use to being out of control; it scared him. "I don't know what else to do." He turned to face his two friends.

"Well to start you need to get your ass down to my room and take care of her." Randy was fed up by this point. Here these two went to great lengths to get them in the same room and Dave was acting like 2 year old. "She's probably going to be sick and _you_ need to be the one there when she wakes up."

Dave heard himself laugh. If only it were that simple. They didn't know Britain like he did. They had only ever seen small glimpses of her temper. If they thought his room looked bad now, just wait until they saw Randy's room if Britain found him in there when she woke up.

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Britain woke up some time later the next day, with a killer headache. She was in a room, different than hers but she couldn't for the life of her figure out where she was. She looked down and noticed that she naked save for the sheet wrapped around her body. Then she heard the bathroom door open, only to see Randy come out toweling his hair.

She tried to speak, but her tongue felt like it had hair growing on it. She looked around again and saw her clothes in a heap on the floor. "Oh God...Randy. Please tell me we didn't...oh no." She said bringing her hand to her head. She laid back on the bed feeling sick, but not sure if it was being hung over or the thought that she'd fucked Randy.

Randy laughed. "No, we didn't." He was a little hurt by the comment but he understood. "You got sick during the night. You threw up all over yourself, the bed...Dave. I just came back here to shower." He made a disgusted face. It was impossible to think that a person so thin could possibly hold that much in their stomach. "What the hell did you eat, yesterday? Tacos?"

She almost laughed, but she suddenly stopped when she saw Dave walk through the door carrying two cups of coffee and a bottle of aspirin. He handed one cup to Randy before sitting his cup on the dresser and walking over to the bed to give Britain the pain relief. If nothing else, he knew her...he knew that she an alcohol tolerance of 2 and that she would be feeling it now.

"This must be the 7th circle of hell." She said shaking her head at the ceiling. It was bad enough to feel like shit, wake up naked in Randy's room...and to top it all off, fucking Dave was still there. She vaguely remembered hearing him comfort her during the night. She could almost still feel his hands making warm circles on her back as she got sick, repeatedly. "Why can't you just let me die in piece?" She asked looking past Dave at Randy and her lips tightened when Randy smiled.

Randy tried to busy himself before he decided that it was just better that he leave. "Guys...I got this thing ...so I'll just...you know..." He didn't wait for a response before bolting out of the door.

"You should take these." Dave said holding two pills out toward Britain. She wasn't about to accept anything from him...not anymore. "Would you leave so I can take a shower?" She asked rudely, pushing his hand and aspirin out of her face.

He exhaled deeply and walked away from the bed. "If you want to take a shower...go ahead. I've seen it all before. I'm not going anywhere."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Figures..." All she knew is she had to get dressed and get the hell out. She didn't want to be on the same planet, let alone the same room with him.

He was fed up; he'd put up with her yelling, her crying her drunken come-ons all night, and now she was acting like he was a pariah. Hunter had been right about one thing; there were a thousand other women lined up to take her place, so why was he putting up with this shit? Because he loved her, no matter how hard he tried not to, he did. "What's your problem? I never cheated on you, never hit you...I never lied to you; why don't I get a second chance."

Britain raised her head and laughed loudly. He had the nerve to want a second chance; that's something that she didn't give...not anymore. Second chances turn into third chances, which turn into people taking your kindness for weakness. No, there would be no of that, ever again.

"You gotta be kidding me." She shook her head and wrapped the sheet around her before going into the bathroom. She refused to argue with him, but that seemed to be what he wanted. "I'm tired, I don't feel well and I want to be left alone. Why don't you get that?" She felt her dander rise when he opened the bathroom door and had a nerve to step inside.

He stood inches from her face, not allowing her to drop her eyes. She was going to hear him...every single word. "I don't get you. You've been with men that used you, that treated you like shit...but you forgave them. I made one mistake…one. And you are acting like I'm the worst person in the world."

His proximity was too close. She tried to walk around him to escape his gaze, but he wouldn't let her move. He had her pinned by the sink, both of his hands resting on it blocking her from walking away. He wanted it; well he was going to get it. "You were the one person who actually treated me like I was more than my looks...you treated me like I actually mattered. I let my guard down and let you in, because I thought I finally found somebody who could love me for who I was, not what I looked like. But in the end, you turned out to be just like them. I trusted you and you broke my heart. So, I'm sorry Dave, I'm fresh out of second chances." Why couldn't he understand that? It wasn't brain surgery, she was hurt...just leave it alone...all he had to do was let her get over him in peace. But, when you love someone, you can't let them hurt alone...that's why he wouldn't let it go.

He backed away from her and shook his head. "Why are you being so difficult? Why won't you listen to me? Do you really think I would have stayed up all night with you, watching you puke your guts out, if all I wanted from you was sex? You _really _have a high opinion of yourself." He could feel his anger start to rise. She wouldn't listen...he knew she was head strong but this was ridiculous.

She couldn't help but to chuckle at the comment. "No...you have a high opinion of me. What were you expecting, Dave? That you would come here and say a few sweet words...then I'd forgive you...maybe let you take me to bed...and we'd ride off into the sunset? I told you before, I'm easy, not stupid." She turned to walk out of the bathroom, but not before he closed the door in front of her.

She wasn't going anywhere and if he had to barricade them in that bathroom, so be it. "Why do you keep saying that? You're not easy. Don't you know how special you are?" He tried not to raise his voice, but she was pissing him off. She kept putting herself down...so much unlike the Britain that he knew and loved.

She shook her head. "Always the player. But this time, you got played." She dropped her voice to whisper and looked him the eye. " This's what I do, Dave; I'm a good time. I would have slept with you without all the romance."

His sudden yell made her jump back; she wasn't use to him yelling, especially not at her. "What the fuck do you want from me Britain? You want me to beg? Fine, I'm fucking begging you...please...I want you back! I love you!"

She couldn't believe it, not only did he trap her in the bathroom with him, now he was fucking yelling at her. "How are we supposed to move on, if you keep bringing this shit back up? It's over!" She yelled back.

"I don't want it to be over. I fucking love you!" He screamed, his deep voice causing vibrations throughout the small bathroom.

"We don't always get what we want! It's not even about what you said to me anymore...it's the fact that you could hurt me so easily. Jesus, don't you understand? I cared too much, because it wouldn't hurt this bad if I didn't. If I let you back in, you could do it again...and I won't let that happen."

He turned around and swung opened the bathroom door. Talking to her was obviously a bad idea...all he had managed to do was piss himself off more. He walked back in the room ranting, making incoherent threats and yelling only allowing her to understand a few expletives. "You are unbelievable…you fucked up and now you're mad at me. How exactly does that work?" She asked standing in the doorway watching him in disbelief.

"I'm pissed because you won't listen to me!" God, if he could have destroyed Randy's room, he would have...but then he'd have to pay for that one too.

"I am listening Dave. I just don't want to hear what you have say...not anymore. I'm done."

He sat on the bed defeated. He shook his head and buried is face in his large hands. How could one woman make him completely lose control like this? She had the power to fill or break his heart, and he let her do both at the same time. In a last ditch effort to reason with her, he took large strides toward her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss that had every ounce of love that he had for her in it. He held his breath as he heard the soft moan come from her mouth as her tongue played with his slowly. He could swear that she could feel the goose bumps on him as her arms came around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She was kissing him back with just as much passion and love as he was kissing her.

He didn't want it to end, because then she would have time to have time to come to her senses. But he did, he had to look in her eyes. They were grey, intensely so...like the color of the clouds over the sea during a storm. Her eyes didn't lie...she still loved him, she still wanted him.

"I can't do this." She whispered, pulling the sheet tighter around her body.

He took his hands and traced his thumb over her lips, that were still swollen by his kiss. He sealed the glistening moisture from where their lips met into hers, as if he meant for her to keep it for always. "I love you." He said again, before capturing her lips once more. He could feel her heart race he held her so tight, but when he loosened his grip, when she pulled away. He watched her run out of the room and he smiled to himself.

It was a start; she had kissed him and felt everything he did. That kiss didn't lie.

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Chase let out a sigh as she rang Jeff's doorbell. Her eyes were as big as his when he opened the door. She hadn't seen him since that day he had told her about Kelly...it was just too much. After a lot of tears and soul searching, she knew what she had to do. "What are you..." He tried to ask, but when she hugged him, he forgot what he was going to ask. A month was long time to be in limbo.

"I'm sorry I left you." She said quietly stepping back to look at his face. Something wasn't right about it, but she didn't know what it was.

He ran his thumb over her cheek as he cradled her face in his hand. "You're here now."

She walked into his house, looking at how out of place everything was. He had moved his art studio into the living room and there were half finished paintings, wadded up sketches, pens and inks thrown carelessly all around. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows, "Frustrated?" She turned back toward the mess and started to pick it up.

"I thought I lost my muse." He admitted, putting his hands in his pockets.

Chase continued cleaning up the living room without a backward glance. "I called Matt and your dad everyday." She still couldn't look at him; she was too embarrassed by her actions and disgusted by his.

His body was healing. He had the staples removed last week from where he had the chest tube. His ribs were still bandaged, but he only felt pain in them when he moved suddenly. "I should be able to go back to work in a couple weeks. I feel a lot better." He said sitting on the couch and patting it loudly for her to sit next to him. He tried to suppress the laugh that was tickling his throat although he couldn't see anything around him that was funny. He hadn't felt this good in days and having Chase back with just made it even funnier.

Chase ran her hand over his beard and turned his face toward her. "You don't look right. You sure you're ok?"

He smiled. Just the fact that she was there and willing to fuss over him made him feel ten times better. "I'm ok now that you're here." He smiled before leaning over to give her a sloppy kiss. The movement made him flinch against the pain, and it did not go unnoticed. But it was more than his pain, his eyes looked funny...glassy and far away and he looked unkept.

There was something was wrong that she couldn't put her finger on, until she could taste the alcohol on his breath. Jeff didn't drink...not anymore; it was part of his recovery. Chase moved back and studied him again. "Are you taking your medicine?" She asked, noticing the beads of sweat starting on his brow with his sudden ache. He nodded and pointed toward the table in the dining room. Chase walked over to get the pills and studied the jar. It was a 60 day prescription of Oxycotin but when she removed the cap there were only six pills left. "Jeff, where's the rest of your prescription?"

His face dropped and he shrugged. He stood up slowly and took the pills out of her hands and placed the jar on the coffee table. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. He wasn't going to answer the question...she didn't need to know. All she needed to know was he was glad she was there and now he could start getting better.

"Where are the pills, Jeff?" She spoke slowly and softly. She didn't want to come out and accuse him of anything, but she needed for him to tell her. He bit his bottom lip and looked around the room. She moved his face so that he could look her in the eye. His pupils were dilated. He was high or drunk or both...right there in front of her!

"They don't work." He said with an innocent smile. It wasn't like he was hooked on them or anything. He'd only been taking them for three weeks and besides, he had only started doubling up a little over a week ago...then over the weekend, he didn't eat at all, he just popped pills all day. But that was then, now that she was there, he wouldn't need them anymore. He just took them to stop the pain...in his heart.

She pressed her forehead against his. "Jeff. I'm going to ask you a question and I need you to answer it truthfully." She looked at him seriously. "Are you getting high again?"

He let her go and walked away. "How dare you fuckin' ask me that. No...I'm not." He started to pace the room. "You think 'cause I told you about that girl Kelly and that I have a few pills missin' that I'm usin' again? Well you try this shit, Chase. You try to have broken ribs without any pain medicine and see how strong you can be." Of all the people in the world that should have understood, it should have been her.

Even when Matt had been to visit him, he didn't ask about the pills, or how he was spending his free time. Hell, if Chase really cared, she wouldn't have gone this long without so much as a damn phone call. She was supposed to love him, no matter what. And now she was standing there in _his_ house judging him. Well if she didn't like it, she could leave...he wasn't going to stop her.

She remained calm, picking up the pill jar. "Since they don't work...and you're not using them to get high. I'll just throw them out." She walked passed him and headed for the stairs. He found strength past his bandaged ribs as he ran after her, grabbing the bottle from her hands. "You need to mind your own business." He said snatching the bottle away.

She turned to him in awe. "You are my business!" She yelled, snatching the bottle back. This time she was faster, she managed to run up the stairs and get to the bathroom. She dropped the pills in the toilet and flushed it just as he got to door.

The look on his face was somewhere between disbelief and horror. How dare she do that! She was just like everybody else that claimed to love him. His father and Matt and Shannon, they all tried to stop him from taking them. It was only 60 pills, it's not like it was kilo; besides, it was prescribed for his ribs. He _needed_ them to get better. "Why did you do that? Do you know how much pain I'm in?" He couldn't decide if he wanted to hit her or have her just leave. She stood her ground, looking at him, breathing heavily. "Get out! Get the fuck out!" He yelled pulling her by the arm. He didn't need her; it was her fault he was in this situation to begin with. He didn't even feel her struggle against him, until he felt her fist make contact with his broken ribs, causing him to fall on the floor in the hallway.

Immediately she slammed the bathroom door and locked it. She could barely hear Matt's voice on her cell phone over the obscenities that Jeff shouted at her while banging on the door. "Matt. I'm at Jeff's...I threw away his pills and he's freaking out." She scooted down between the tub and toilet, trying to make herself as small as possible. "I'm scared Matt. I don't think he'd hurt me, but he grabbed me." She looked at her arm which had a small bruise starting to form, from where he dug his fingers in it.

"I'm on my way." Matt said quickly.

Chase didn't know what to do. She had never seen this side of Jeff before. He was so docile, sweet and loving...not like this. He'd only been taking them for three weeks. You can't get hooked in three weeks...could you?

"So now you're afraid of me, Chase? You think I'm gonna hurt you now? Open the fuckin' door!" He yelled banging on it again. "You did this you know. I wouldn't have needed to take pills, if you would've just left me alone to begin with...you put me through all this shit...and then you fuckin' left me. And now you wanna come back like everythin's fine. Fuck you, Chase!"

The silence at the door scared her. She didn't know whether to open it or not. He may have hurt himself while beating on the door. She wanted to go check on him; but what if he were just waiting for her...to really hurt her? She didn't know what to do. She held her breath and dialed her phone. "Daddy?" Her voice let out a faint cry when she heard his voice. "I need you." She could hear the anxiety in his voice. "Jeff's using again...I'm scared."

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Hunter grabbed the last of his bags and loaded them into his car. He walked back to the house to return the key to Stephanie. "I don't want this, Steph." He said quietly, before placing the keys in her hand.

She held her breath and closed her hand around them. She had never known him to hit a woman. She couldn't get that out of her mind. If he could so freely hit Dave's girlfriend with no remorse, in front his him no less...where did that leave her? "Why did you do it?" She asked him again. She had been filled in on his antics; how he had set up Jeff, the way he had treated Chase and Britain. But Stephanie still didn't understand.

Hunter sat down. He had nothing left to lose. He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I was just so angry...then you wanted a separation...it just hurt to see everybody else happy." It didn't even make since to him, so how could make her understand. She was his everything and she didn't want him. His glance darted away from him as he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. And then suddenly a hand...her hand touched him.

She looked at him with concern, her watery eyes matched his. She knelt before him the chair. "I don't want this either. I love you Paul...but I just don't know anymore." It was all she had left. She had battled over and over again with whether to try to make this work. Then she heard about what he had done and she was sure that she had made the right decision. But now he was here and she could see the hurt on his face. "Why didn't you just talk to me about it? When did we stop talking?"

He honestly couldn't remember. It happened so gradually that it seemed natural. He thought about it, all of it. How he had purposely tormented Jeff, embarrassed Chase, fed Dave's rage and disrespected Britain. Now all four of their lives were in turmoil and he was the sole one to blame. He felt the warm tears run from his eyes and her warmer hand touch his face. "Please don't make me go." He whispered taking her palm and kissing it gently. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll do anger management, marriage counseling...whatever it takes. But please don't leave me...I got nothing left." He had managed to isolate himself from everyone in the past few weeks. And without her, he really had nothing. He expected her to tell him to leave.

But she couldn't. Instead she wrapped her arms around him. "I don't want to lose you." She cried against his embrace. She couldn't for the life of her understand why she needed or wanted him, but she did; and that's all that mattered.

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Why does it seem like when you're in a hurry, everything goes in slow motion? Not only had the flight to Raleigh, NC had delayed, but the rental car company only had small cars...something that a 6'5", 3001b man just couldn't drive. It took them over an hour to get an SUV delivered to the airport...an hour; he could have been in Cameron in that time. Then there was the accident on the highway to deal with, making everyone travel at a snails pace. Hell, he could've walked there faster.

Dave felt his muscles tighten. He wanted so much to stay in Atlantic City and talk to Britain again. She had kissed him back, that meant that it wasn't over...you don't kiss someone like that when you want nothing else to do with them. His lips still burned from hers, the gentle pressure of her tongue dancing with his, the sound of her moan in his mouth, the warm tears touching his cheeks as she pulled away, were all still etched in his memory. Then there was the look she gave him. Her lips were still glistening from his kiss and her eyes were unyielding. He saw it there, he saw that still loved him and wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Her eyes always told him everything about her. He had half expected them to be blue, symbolizing she was angry; but they weren't. They were deep grey, she was happy. She was happy he kissed her, she was happy to be in his arms. Now all he had to do was prove to her that they were meant to be...that is after he killed Jeff.

He got lost a few times in the wooded area near Jeff's home, but 4 hours after his daughter's phone call, he made his way there. He had told himself over and over again that he wouldn't lay a finger on him...unless he had laid one of Chase. But she had ended the phone call so abruptly that he didn't know what to think. All he could do was see Kelly on that table, bloody and bruised...her young body exposed and all those _men_ standing around her laughing and taunting her. What if Chase was next? No. He refused to think about that, because she had called him, she told him he was scared; but it had taken four hours to get to her. That's a long time, when you don't know if you child is in danger.

He rang the door immediately following the hard knock he gave it. If Jeff didn't open that door in 10 seconds, he was going to break it down. "Chase?" He called out, his heart started to race. What if Jeff had hurt her? What if she couldn't get to the door? Fuck that door; that shit was coming down, now!

"What do you want?" Matt asked opening the door, looking at the terror stricken face of Dave Batista. Matt and Dave had always been friends, but now neither one of them was so sure. Their relationship changed after Kelly, mainly because Matt defended Jeff. How could he defend someone who let that happen? In Dave's mind, he was just as guilty as the others.

Dave walked past Matt and into Jeff's home, uninvited. He scanned the living room quickly and didn't see her. He looked in the dining room and saw Shannon sitting there with Jeff. His heart started doing flips. Where was Chase? Why were there three men in that house, alone with his daughter? Before he could process the whole scene, he pulled Jeff out of his seat. "Where's my daughter, you son of a bitch? What did you do to her?" His face was hard and his voice firm.

He watched Jeff put his head down and fresh tears come to his eyes. Dave's mind played a hundred different scenarios: he had hit her, or raped her, or even worse, killed her. Dave shook Jeff again, this time his anger getting the better of him. He could hear Matt's voice in the background, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He watched the guilt all over Jeff's face, just proving his point; he had done something horrible to her.

Just as Dave felt that he would die from holding his breath, waiting to hear what gruesome thing Jeff did to Chase, he heard her voice. It was a high pitched wail of relief that made him release Jeff and turn to her.

"Daddy…stop please?" He could see that she had been crying and his heart cried too as the young girl walked swiftly over to him and hugged him with all the love that a daddy's girl could.

He held her stroking her hair, letting her know how sorry he was for hurting her and that all was forgiven. She cried against his chest, not because of the fight with Jeff, but because she missed him. She always talked to him everyday, even if it was only for a few minutes. She missed him, even if she was the one who tried to hurt him.

Dave pulled away and looked at her face. "Are you ok?" He let the air fill his lungs again when she nodded. "I was so scared." He didn't really care that the other three men in the room watched him fall to pieces in his daughter's arms. They all understood; she was his child and he would do anything to protect her.

He was pulled out of his reunion by the unmistakeable southern drawl of Jeff. "I didn't do nothin' to her, I swear."

Dave turned to see Jeff leaning against the table holding his ribs. _Dammit!_ He said he wasn't going to touch him, unless the situation called for it. Dave turned his attention back to Chase to get confirmation.

"I was scared Daddy, that's why I called you. I knew you'd come for me." She dropped her eyes, feeling guilty that she had put Jeff in this position again. She looked over at Jeff and gave him an apologetic look and was relieved when he gave her a faint smile.

The tension in the air was thick. Dave released his daughter and focused all of his attention on Jeff. Since he was there, they might as well settle it once and for all. "Are you getting high again?" He asked in a smug voice, but quickly he let his superior attitude go when Jeff didn't answer.

Chase walked over to Jeff and put her arm around him. "Sit down. We all need to talk."

Dave looked over at Matt, who was pulling out a chair and slowly went to take one himself. This had been the furthest thing from his mind...talking. The entire ride over he had been planning on how to murder Jeff and make it look like an accident. But it was that damn Britain's fault. If she hadn't of kissed him back and let him think that there was hope, he would be doing just that. Then there was Chase's eyes to deal with. They were so full of hurt and love for Jeff, just like Britain's were after the kiss. _Fuck!_ He didn't want to deal with this, not ever.

"I started takin' the pills they gave me in the hospital and I had a few beers." Jeff admitted to him. He didn't need to explain anything to Dave, but he knew for Chase's sake he did. He had scared her, he yelled at her, he grabbed her; that wasn't Jeff, that was Jeff on drugs. He hated that Jeff; he hated that _that _Jeff still existed. But if it hadn't been for Chase calling Matt, he may have hurt her. Just thinking that he could possibly harm her was enough to make him sick.

Before Dave could say anything, Chase chimed in. "Daddy...I love Jeff and I'm going to be with him with or without your approval." She spoke firmly and never let her eyes drop from his. He felt a swell of pride, finally after all these years, his uber pleasing daughter had a backbone...but why over Jeff Hardy? "We have some things we need to work out...and he's going to start going to meetings again, but we're going to do this...together." She reached over and squeezed Jeff's hand.

Jeff felt like his heart was going to burst because it was so full. "I know you don't like me. I know you don't trust me...but I would never hurt her, Dave." Jeff's voice was low and soft. He was embarrassed that he could treat Chase so cruelly. He had never been the type of person to say how he felt; he usually just let his emotions take over. Numb, that was his favorite emotion and as long as Jeff found something else to occupy whatever it was he was feeling...enough until his body was numb, he was fine. But now he didn't have that luxury. He loved Chase; he had to deal with that emotion, which gave all of his other emotions free range. It scared him.

Dave sat at the table and glared at Jeff. Not being able to get Kelly's face out of his head. "You might not mean to, but things have a way of happening when you're around." He didn't mean for the sarcasm to come out, but it did. He watched Jeff's head lower and Chase's eyes widen.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Matt asked from the other side of the table. Dave noticed the look on both he and Shannon's faces.

"He's been trying Dave, give him some credit." Shannon offered. They couldn't believe how he was acting. Dave had been a role model for them for so long. He was calm, fun, grounded...granted he had a temper, but you had to get him really pissed to ever see it.

Jeff raised his hand to stop them. "I know you blame me. But I never meant for it happen, Dave. She was kid, for Christ's sake. I never meant for her to get hurt." He spoke slowly, before the well of emotions over the situation overcame him. "I've blamed myself everyday, for the past 3 years. When she died, I wanted world to swallow me up...because it was my fault." He pointed to himself. "My fault. She begged me to help her...and I didn't."

Dave clinched his jaws. He still couldn't understand how Jeff could be so cruel. "How could not help her? They used a fucking beer bottle..." His voice showed his disbelief. "She was just a little girl...a baby." And here his baby was with the monster that let it happen.

"Dave, I tried to make up for it. I tried to pay for her surgeries; I tried to give her family money for therapy...I even wrote to her and apologized. I tried. I can't bring her back."

Dave could hear in his voice that he was sorry, but that wasn't good enough. Jeff had let it happen; he just sat there and let it happen.

"What else do I have to do?"

Dave looked at Jeff and then at Chase. "I have three daughters...three of them. She could've been one of my girls. You let somebody's daughter get attacked and you didn't do anything about it. She was Madison's age..." He looked at Chase so that she would understand. Maybe the realization of just how young she was would finally hit home with Chase. "And she looked so much like her..." In Dave's mind, Kelly had been one of his girls; she was a little girl that needed her daddy there to protect her. And he did, he tried...but he had gotten there too late. The damage had already been done. If he would have had to go to the bathroom sooner, instead of playing pool with John, then maybe he would have been able to stop it before it happened.

Chase understood. She walked around and lifted his head. "She wasn't Maddy, Daddy." She smiled at him and spoke calmly so that he would understand. "You tried to save her, and you did. She made it out of there alive because _you_ helped her. You did your best." She knew he had always had a hero complex, but she never really understood why until now. "This isn't about Jeff, is it? You hate him, because _you_ feel guilty; but you didn't know, you couldn't have known."

Jeff sat back in his chair and let the tears from his eyes. He watched as Dave hugged his daughter and cried. He understood the guilt he felt, because he had been carrying around his fair share of it for so long. Now he had to make it right. He didn't know how, but he had to try.

"I tried...I got there too late." Dave whispered as his daughter hugged him. He had always been their hero and he let them down; he let Kelly down. He had only been introduced to her briefly, but he couldn't help but think just how much like Maddy she looked. Her short dark hair and big brown eyes; that same infatuated look in her eyes when she looked at Jeff. He should have been there, he should have insisted that she stay out there and talk to them, or told Jeff that he should take her home. That was no place for a child to be; but at the time, he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Finally Matt spoke. "All of us did things wrong that night. I'm not gonna make excuses for Jeff...I've been doin' that for too long. He was high Dave; he didn't know what was goin' on. You should have seen him the next day, when he found out...he was a mess. He stopped carin' about everythin'. This has eaten him up for years. You gotta find a way to let him let him live it down."

"What if you start really using again? What about Chase?" Dave was torn. He wanted Chase to be happy, but with Jeff? That was a risk that he just didn't think he could take. But he felt his worries lift slightly when Jeff smiled.

"How can I fuck up, when you'll be right there, watchin' me like a hawk?" He had made up his mind after he saw Chase's face, when Shannon finally got her to open the bathroom door. She had this look on her face, she was afraid. It was the same look that Kelly had given him, when she begged for his help. He promised that no woman would ever look at him like that again, and yet he had given Chase a reason to. "The pills are gone. I'm in pain, but...I'll deal; there's no more alcohol. It's all gone." He looked at Chase and smiled. "I love your daughter, Dave. I do...I love her with everything I have. I don't want to lose her; not over this. For the first time since Kelly died, I feel alive...I'm happy. I don't lose that for anything."

Dave looked at Chase. "I love him, Daddy." She said in a trembling voice. He released her only to see her go and hug Jeff. The look on his face, reminded him of himself; it was the same look that he had when he was with Britain earlier. It was a look of hope that things would get better, a look of determination that come hell or high water he would make things right.

There was no need to argue about it anymore. Chase had made up her mind and even though he was scared to death for her, he walked out of Jeff's house without any protest. She knew that if she needed him, he would be there, but he wouldn't just give them permission to be together. If Chase was going to be with Jeff, she would have to do it on her own. She was his little girl and he didn't want to let her go; but he knew that he had to.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

It was something about showing up at someone's house unannounced that always made Chase feel uneasy. But it had been two weeks since she and Jeff decided together that he would start attending NA meetings and she would do everything in her limited power to help to keep him on the straight and narrow. He was almost completely healed. He would be returning to work in one week and now after finding that there were meetings held in her school's Student Center, neither of them found a problem with him spending his remaining week in LA with her.

It had seemed like a bad idea to just drop in on the Weis' without at least calling first; especially since they knew that Britain and her father were still not together. From what Jeff had told her, Matt had heard from Johnny Nitro, who was friends with Shane, who was back at Smackdown with him…Dave and Britain broke up because he told her that he had only used her for sex and then he let Hunter beat her up and to top it off they were seen at a party together in Atlantic City and she was seen leaving with Dave and Randy only to be spotted running half way naked from Randy's room the next morning. It's funny how the rumor mill doesn't get things quite right and from the story that Jeff told her; she knew that couldn't have been how things went down.

To start, Chase knew her father well enough to know that he didn't use people. Sure, when she was younger he had a few "girl friends" but no matter what the actual relationship was, the ones he brought around always stayed for at least a couple of months. If he had just been using Britain, he wouldn't have been with her so long, nor would he have proposed to her. Secondly, Dave would never hit a woman, let alone let someone else hit a woman…and in his presence no less. Finally, she knew that what ever happened in Atlantic City had been misinterpreted. Her dad loved Britain and no matter what kind of crazy sex life they had, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never share her with Randy or anyone else for that matter. So a harmless trip to her parent's house, just to see if she was all right, is what Jeff convinced her of doing. They would just drop in, say hi…maybe take her to lunch and Chase could get to the bottom of things. Then maybe Jeff could tell Matt what really happened and the rumor mill could finally be silenced.

X opened the front door wearing a black dress. "Hey! It's nice to see you without all those tubes sticking out of you." She smiled offering a small hug to Jeff followed by a hug to Chase. Although Jeff didn't know X from the man in the moon, he remembered she was the small blonde that had been with them in the hallway the day that Dave came after him. She opened the door wider and let the couple in. "Brit's upstairs. She'll be down in a minute."

Chase sat on the sofa and looked around the room. There were small votive candles on every coverable surface and there was a makeshift alter on the fireplace. There was a statue of Mary and incense burning, giving the house a soft musk smell. Jeff looked over at Chase and shrugged his shoulders.

"Brit! Come on, or we'll be late!" X yelled up the stairs. A few moments later Britain entered the living room, wearing a similar black dress and her head covered in a black lace veil. She looked beautiful, like a witch or a vampire or something.

Chase looked around again and instantly felt sad. "Oh my God. Did somebody die? I'm so sorry Britain…we didn't know…we shouldn't have just shown up." She was surprised when Britain lifted her veil to reveal a big smile.

"What are doing here?" She asked good naturedly. Not exactly how someone in heavy mourning would greet you. "Jeff, I'm so glad you're ok." She said walking over to him and taking his hand before giving it a quick squeeze. Then she hugged Chase who was still looking confused.

Chase didn't want to ask about whose funeral she was going to, but from the looks of the house, it was someone that might have lived there. "We should go." She turned to Jeff, feeling really shitty about just showing up, when the family was obviously grieving.

"Who died?" Jeff looked concerned. Britain seemed to be a little too happy to be dealing with a close death.

Britain looked at herself and then the room, not understanding why Chase didn't know what's going on. "Nobody." She turned to X who was shaking her head. "Oh…no, it's a holiday. It's Dia de los Muertus." She stood back and looked at Chase who had the faintest idea what she was talking about. "You know…Day of the Dead? You never celebrated it with your dad?" Dave was Filipino; it was just as big a holiday in the Philippines as it was in Mexico.

Chase shook her head.

"Well, we go to Mass and then we have a parade and we end up at the cemetery for the rest of the day." Britain explained still shaking her head that Dave never shared in this tradition with her. "I can't believe your dad never did this with you. He told me before that he celebrated it with his dad when he was a kid."

Chase felt her cheeks flush. "My grandfather died when I was little…he never really kept up the traditions that much after that." She admitted. It may have been something her father did as a child, but why would you want to have a parade and hang out at a cemetery all day long? She was glad that he hadn't done it with her or her sisters.

"What's at the cemetery?" Jeff asked intrigued. Before Britain could answer Croix bolted down the stairs, wearing black pants and a black shirt; his face was painted white, with big black circles around his eyes and a jack-o- lantern style mouth. Jeff's eyes lit up immediately.

"We gotta go or I'm gonna be late." Croix said, before smiling at Chase.

Britain rolled her eyes. "We'll meet you there. Save me a seat." She said before turning back to the couple on the couch. "He's in the parade." She explained his attired. She focused her attention back to Jeff. "The cemetery is where the dead people are." She flashed one of her smiles at him, making him blush. Of course he knew that's what cemeteries were for, but what he didn't know is what they were going to be doing there. Britain laughed. "Well you know yesterday was Halloween…the day that the dead roam the earth. Well today is the day we pay our respects to the dead…let them know that we love them and miss them and that we honor them. It's like visiting everyone who died, just to let them know that you haven't forgotten them."

"Why?" Jeff asked shaking his head.

"Because the dead help us live. We learn from their mistakes. They can help us heal." She said raising her eyebrows at him, to show that he of all people could use some healing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Apologize? You're fucking kidding me…right?" Hunter said looking at Anger Management Group leader. "Why do I have to apologize? Can't I just promise not to fuck with them anymore?" He looked around at the groans from the other members of the group.

He had promised Stephanie that he would do whatever it took to get her back; even if it meant sitting in this bullshit group for two hours a week. It was only the second session and already he felt like this was a waste of time.

So far, from what he could see there were five men and one woman, who just sat around bitching about how they had hurt other people and they were "so sorry" about everything they had done. He listened to how they blamed their rage and frustration for all the trouble they had caused.

Today he had offered to speak; mainly because Stephanie was with him. He wanted to show her that he was serious and admitting his guilt to the group was just the way to do that. But when they started talking about this apology bullshit, well…he didn't sign up for that.

"You need to apologize, to clear the air. You need to let your intentions be known." The group leader said. To that Hunter laughed. This man didn't know him, and he most certainly didn't know the business or his friends. If he went around apologizing, they would think he was soft…more importantly, they wouldn't believe him. "You need to apologize to the woman you struck especially."

Hunter felt his lips tighten as he tried to stifle the scream from coming out his mouth. There was no way on in hell he was going to apologize to Britain! "She fucking attacked _me_!" He yelled. "What the fuck do I have to say I'm sorry about?"

The fact that he outweighed her by 250lbs, and that she was a woman, didn't even register to him. Nor did the fact that he had been goading her for years and really got bad about it over the last few months. He didn't want her around, period.

He looked over at Stephanie who had dropped her eyes in disappointment. He had brought her with him so she would see that he was trying to change; even if some of it had been a front. He was willing to do anything to get her back…but this? This was too much. But the look on her face made him nervous.

"Fine." He said dryly. "What am I suppose to say?" He looked at the group leader for help.

The guy sitting next to him touched his shoulder. "We can't tell you what to say. It has to come from in here." He said touching his chest to symbolize his heart.

Hunter rolled his eyes. How the fuck he got stuck with a bunch of pansy ass emotion freaks, he'd never know.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase, Britain, Christina and Jeff all sat on a large picnic blanket beside the head stone of Miklo Velka. Chase watched as Christina poured a class of Tequila and placed it on the ground in front of the marker and Britain lit candles around it.

"Whose grave is this?" Chase whispered as if she shouldn't be talking during the ceremony.

Christina smiled. "This is Miklo. Miklo this Chase and Jeff…and Britain's here too." She said turning to the headstone. Britain waved at the grave and smiled. Chase and Jeff must have thought she was crazy; but that's what you do. You talk to the dead as if they were still living. It was a way to keep them alive. "He was the only man, I've ever loved." She let a faint smile cross her lips as she gently rubbed the marble headstone.

Britain got on her knees and made the sign of the cross, still holding her rosary in her hand. She and X prayed in Spanish, while Jeff and Chase bowed their heads; because that's what they felt like were suppose to do.

"I always liked tough guys, but Miklo was different. He was really sweet and gentle. I would have married him." She said smiling. Britain's arm came around her best friend's shoulder.

"What happened?" Jeff asked, playing with a blade of grass. It was something comforting in knowing that he wasn't the only one who was fighting a ghost. He looked at the head stone and realized that he died almost 10 years ago. Christina must have been coming here faithfully for 10 years and the ghost of this man still wouldn't let her go. Hell, Kelly had only been dead for three years…he couldn't face the rest of his life never being able to live that down.

Christina sighed. "He was hit by a car. We had a fight that morning about cereal. He had eaten the last of the Fruity Pebbles and I was complaining that he could have replaced the box. He ran to the store, just so I would shut up…and it happened. He never even looked before he crossed the street." After 10 years, she still got choked up thinking about it. She should have told him she loved him before he left, or maybe she could have opted to eat something else instead. But she had to insist that he go to the store…if she hadn't he'd still be there. "It was hard to let him go…but he knows he's always with me. I come here a few times a year and talk to him. But today, I'm going to spend the whole day with him, catch him up on what's been happening in my life. He likes that." She smiled.

Jeff sat in amazement. How could she be so at peace with something that was obviously her fault?

Christina turned to Britain. "If nothing else, it taught me to live each day like it's your last, because you never know if it's going to be. I also learned that if you love someone, you tell them every chance you get…they may not be around for you to tell them later."

The gentle squeeze from Christina's hand let Britain know what she meant. She meant that Britain should talk to Dave…tell him that she still loved him. But she couldn't. Things between them were still wrong. But he had kissed her and for two weeks she couldn't get that kiss out of her mind. She had been without him for six weeks now…that's a long time to just pick up a phone and say, _I'm sorry. I want to give us another chance. _It may have been what she wanted to do, but she was stubborn and more importantly, she didn't know how.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For two weeks Dave Batista did nothing, absolutely nothing…except watch the "home movie" that he had made with Britain. He already knew every inch of her, inside and out, but he couldn't help but to watch it over and over again, studying every centimeter of her body, noticing every emotion on her face, and every sudden change in the pitch of her voice when they made love.

He wanted her back, so bad; it was like nothing he had ever known before. And it wasn't because he watching himself make love to her, actually he hardly focused on the act itself. He watched the beginning of the video, when she was sitting on the bed talking to him, regarding the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder. He paid attention to her laugh as he tried to get the video camera to focus and figure out how the auto-zoom lens worked. He found himself laughing when she told him that if he wasn't in that bed with her in 30 seconds there would be no movie…not for a long time.

He noticed that when she kissed him, she would lick her lips afterward as if to savor his taste. And the way she held her breath when he kissed the hollow of her throat, the way her hands moved over his muscular back…he could still feel them there, those feather light touches that drove him crazy. He had never before noticed how she would mouth incomprehensible curses when he kissed her below the belt or the way that she gave a little smile when he filled her body with his own.

The way she said his name when they made love, made his heart jump. It was so soft and sweet and filled with so much love and passion. Truthfully, she could be saying the alphabet, because the sound of her voice made his body tremble. He missed that…he missed her.

He watched the end of the video, after their appetites for each other had been feed, lying in each other's arms…their bodies a heap of tangled limbs, remembering the way he played with her hair and she drew lazy circles on his chest slowly putting him to sleep. It was usually by that point that he either turned the movie off because he had to release is sexual tension, by himself, or he'd close his eyes and try to imagine her smell, her feel, or the her gentle laughter as she talked about whatever was on her mind.

Today, he watched the video to the very end, never noticing before that after he had in fact fallen asleep, she had leaned herself up on her elbow and looked at him. She told him everything that was in her heart; things that she would never say to him when he was awake. She told him that she loved him more than life itself, but she would never tell him exactly how much because it scared her. She told him how happy he made her and for the first time in her life, she felt like she was special to someone besides her father.

He felt tears well in his eyes, when she whispered that she wanted to marry him and give him as many babies as he could stand…even if he would be too old to play with them. She admitted that all of her excuses for not wanting marriage or children were a lie, but that she was afraid that's not what he wanted. She was willing to give up career to be with him, all he had to do was ask. She said all of this before she kissed him softly on his lips and returning her head to his chest listening to his heart beat.

How could he have slept through all of that? How could he not know how she felt? Britain was an enigma to him, and he thought he knew her so well. He had broken every fantasy, every dream, every hope that she had for them…and now he knew why she was hurting so badly. The sad part is… he felt exactly the same way.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jeff lit a candle before placing it in the small raft he made. "Kelly, I have to let you go. I can't keep holding you inside anymore. What happened to you was wrong and I'm truly sorry; but I can't keep living like this." He looked over at Chase who gave him a nod of approval. "I tried to make it up to you, I tried to hurt myself because of you and I hurt a lot of people after you. But I ain't gonna do it anymore. I need you to be at peace, Kelly."

He pushed the raft into the stream that ran past the cemetery and watched as it floated away. "You gotta let me go too. You gotta soar, darlin'. I pray things are better for you now then they were when you were here."

He stood up, pulling Chase up with him. He hugged her with all that he had left; letting only a few tears spill over his eyes. He turned back to the raft and could only see a faint flicker of light as it floated away. He felt a cool breeze run across his face, instantly feeling the goose bumps on his arms. It made him hold Chase tighter and finally he felt at peace.

As they turned to leave, he looked back at the stream and the raft and his candle were gone. "Goodbye, Kelly." He whispered and walked away.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_Author's Note: I really would like to thank everyone who has read and responded to this story. Unlike most of the other stuff I write, this just popped in my head and I've been writing it by the seat of my pants. There's been no fore-thought about the chapters, no planning, no outlines. It's just an idea that snowballs everyday. I spend a lot of time rehearsing the dialogue in the shower and in my car though..._

_Anyway, I've only got two more chapters left before I think I'm done with this one. But don't worry, there's a sequel and I've already written down the major themes. _

_Finally, I got my spell check back! Thank you so much for reading past the typos, I'm thinking about taking it down and reposting it, typo and spelling error free. But you read past them, and still got the point. Much love & thanx!_


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Children and holidays have a way of either bring people together or tearing them apart. Weeks had past since Dave and Britain had spoke, let alone shared a mind blowing kiss that left both of them clinging to the memories of their past relationship. But with every passing day Britain felt that too much time had past, that it would just be too awkward now to pick up the phone and profess her undying love to him. He on the other hand took her silence as meaning that she was serious in her decision to end it all. He was stuck between showing up on her doorstep one last time and just letting her go so that they both could attempt to get on with their lives.

_All I have to do is knock on the door_ she thought, standing on his porch. She had been to that house a thousand times, she _lived _in that house…all of her belonging were still inside; that is if he hadn't boxed them all up and shipped them to a storage facility. So why was it so hard to knock? Because two months of agony made it hard to just say, hey…Happy Thanksgiving.

It would have been so simple for her to have stayed at her parents, but no, Maddy had to call and guilt her into coming to dinner.

"_So Alli and I were wondering if you could make a Strudel for Thanksgiving…like the one you did last year." Maddy spoke into the phone. She held her breath and smiled at her sister. This plan to get Britain and Dave back together was fool proof. Maddy was a master manipulator, a seasoned liar and a girl that would stoop as low as possible to get what she wanted; including turning on the waterworks, if it deemed necessary. She was the female version of Dave as a child and Britain's protégé._

_Britain looked confused. "Maddy, honey…I'm not coming to Thanksgiving. I'm staying home." She felt her heartbreak when she heard the slight sniffle from the teenager on the other end of the line._

"_But you promised." She said before nodding to Alli who sat quietly on the other extension with the mute button depressed. "So because you broke up with Daddy, that mean you broke up with us, too?" She couldn't help but to smile; she was laying it on pretty thick. "First Chase... now you."_

_Britain felt her eyes sting. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Maddy or Alli; she loved them. "Maddy…you and Alli are still the coolest chicks I know. I'm still your friend, no matter what." She sighed and flopped herself down on the couch. "I just thought it would be awkward, you know. So I made other plans. I'm having Thanksgiving with…" She looked around the room to see X standing there with her arms folded and shaking her head. "Christina."_

"_Oh no your not!" Christina yelled loud enough for Madison and Allin to hear her. "I'm going to John's for Thanksgiving and you're not invited."_

_Britain's eyes got wide. "John's? What the hell…" She tried to ask her friend, but was cut off._

"_Don't worry about what the hell…you need to take your ass home and fix this shit with your man." Christina started to pace the room. "I'm tired of listening to you whine about him. You are crazy in love with that man and this is the chance for you to stop being so stubborn and do something about it!"_

"_So, you'll come?" Alli asked, while getting a look from Maddy because she was supposed to be the silent partner._

_Britain blew out her breath in frustration. "It's just one dinner right? Your dad's not cooking is he?" She heard herself ask._

_The girls laughed. "No we are. But I don't know how to make deserts that aren't in a box, so can you do the Strudel?" Maddy asked again._

"_Sure." Britain reluctantly agreed. If she could make it through this meal, it would be a miracle. But it was just dinner. It wasn't a promise for happily ever after. She was going to do her best to avoid Dave, questions about their relationship, the fact that his picture was in WWE Magazine at The Marine's Premier, sporting WWE Diva, Kristal, on his arm._

And now she was on the porch, afraid to knock. What if it was weird? What if he didn't even know she was coming? How long does an average meal take anyway? She raised her hand to knock on the door, but it flew open before she could. She was standing face to face with him, her overnight back falling off her shoulder; the grocery bag lying uncomfortably in her hands, her hair was wet and sticking to her face from the rain. It wasn't exactly the impression that she wanted to make, but there she was.

Even though she looked uncomfortable, his heart still skipped a beat…she was beautiful. "I didn't think you'd come." He said with a smile before grabbing the groceries from her hand.

"Well…your girls are persuasive." She said entering the house behind him. She noticed that everything was exactly how she had left it. The large white pillows she put on his black leather couch to make the room feel more welcoming, still sat where she had left them. Her pictures mixed with his adorned the walls and the fireplace, including the large black and white of them that he and Chase loved where still in place. Oh, this wasn't going to be easy.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanksgiving at the Hardy house was unlike anything that Chase had experienced. It wasn't better or worse…just different. To start, Jeff, Matt and their father argued most of the day over who was going to cook what.

"You ain't makin' the mashed potatoes, Jeff." Matt yelled from across the kitchen. "We'd be waitin' all night for you to put designs in 'em with the butter and pepper."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Well it'll be better than your dry ass turkey!" Jeff shouted back washing off the potatoes.

"Both of you need to shut up and start cooking!" Mr. Hardy yelled walking into the kitchen. Every year it was the same thing…Jeff took hours to create designs in whatever he was cooking; Matt overcooked the turkey and blamed Jeff for taking too long with the sides for the charbroiled bird…just once he wanted a peaceful Thanksgiving with his boys. "See what you gave up to have dinner with us?" He asked turning to Chase.

She thought about it…right now she could be at her Dad's house, helping her sisters make dinner, they would be working together, trying to keep Dave out of the kitchen. If it didn't involve steamed vegetables or a grill, he was pretty useless. Then her mom would have made homemade rolls and they would all be getting ready to sit down for an early dinner before watching football for the rest of the day. She had to admit, she missed it.

It wasn't that Chase didn't want to be with Jeff for the holiday, she just hoped that maybe they could have gone to Tampa. But Jeff didn't want that…he didn't want another altercation, and her dad…well he wasn't too happy about her not coming home, but he was stern in the fact that he didn't want Jeff to come.

So there she was, in Cameron, caught in the middle of a Hardy feud.

"I have a suggestion." She said talking loud enough for the three bickering men to hear her. "Why don't _I _cook?" It was simple and it made sense. She was a pretty good cook, not like her mom or anything, but she could hold her own. "Jeff and Matt, you can _both_ help me."

The brothers looked at each other, then at Chase. It was a pretty sweet deal. Not only would they get out of cooking, but they still got to feel like they were involved. They agreed and sat down as Chef Chase looked around the kitchen for a place to begin.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took Britain 15 minutes to wash 10 apples. Normally it wouldn't take that long, but Dave was standing too close to her. It was all she could do not to turn around and throw her arms around him.

"So…who's this guy?" Alli asked bringing one of Maddy's magazines up to Britain's far off gaze. It was a simple picture snapped at a charity event a few weeks before. She was at a table with a very attractive blonde man; they looked to be involved in a serious conversation. The caption under the picture read _Is this Anders Styles new love?_

Britain couldn't help but to laugh. "Oh that's Anders." She answered turning her attention back to the apples. She noticed Dave peering over her shoulder to get a look at the photograph.

"Are you dating him?" Maddy asked casually. She knew damn well that Britain was too hung up on her dad to be seeing anyone else, but at least she could spark a conversation between them. They hadn't said anything to each other since she walked in the door.

Britain glanced at Dave then back at Maddy. "Who Anders? We've gone out a few times, but we're not dating." The thought of her dating him was gross. She had known him for years, and he was a sweet guy, but Anders? He was so not her type.

"Are you sleeping with him?" A deep voice asked quietly from behind her.

She turned around to look at Dave. His posture had changed; there was almost an ache in his voice at the question. How the hell could he think that she would do something like that? Britain turned away from him and looked back at Maddy.

"It's too bad…he's really hot." Maddy said with a slight laughter in her voice. Her dad was jealous; that was a good sign. Now all she had to do was get them to have a real conversation.

"He _is_ really hot, but he's also _really_ gay." Britain answered before rolling her eyes at Dave. "And who I do or don't do is no longer any of your business." How dare he ask her something like that? She didn't ask him was he fucking Kristal; although she was dying to.

He lowered his head and cursed himself for asking her that. He was an asshole and he knew it wasn't his place. If she had wanted him back, she would have come without being blackmailed by his daughters. If there was even an inkling of hope, he had just ruined it.

"I don't actually sleep with _everyone _I date." Britain said coldly. He could still piss her off, without trying. She grabbed the colander and placed the wet apples inside. "I don't believe you would ask me that." She said to herself but loud enough for him to hear.

He shook his head. He wanted to talk to her, but all he had managed to do was insinuate that she was a ho. "I give up." He said throwing down the towel in his hands. He walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going to get Grandma. I'll be back later." He said to his girls then looking at Britain and with that he left the house.

She felt all eyes on her. She didn't mean to blow it out of proportion like that…but while all she could think about was jumping into his arms, he seemed to only be thinking about who she was jumping into bed with.

"I don't even know why you're here." Emily said walking into the kitchen. Britain didn't sign up for this shit. First she had to try like hell to pretend that Dave wasn't there and now she had to deal with the mother of his children…the woman who threw cheap shots at her whenever she could.

Britain turned around and looked her in the eye. She didn't want to cause a scene in front of the girls, so politely as she could she spoke to Emily. "Do you have a problem with me being here?" What she really wanted to ask was why the fuck was she there. That was still her house too…even if she didn't live there and wasn't with Dave anymore and technically her name wasn't on anything…on second thought, she kept her comment brief.

"I have a problem with you." Emily had just about enough of Britain flaunting herself in front to of her. "For years, I've watched him with you and even though you're not together it's still the same; only you're too much of a bitch to see it." Emily shot her girls a look, causing them to exit the kitchen. "I was married to him for six years…six years! Do you know what that was like?" Emily refused to cry about it, but she was tired of this. "Never once in the whole time we were together, did he ever look at me the way he looks at you. And you have the nerve to just stand here and put him through that. He fucking loves you and you're too proud or whatever to give him another chance."

Britain felt her lip twitch as she tried to control her tongue. "You don't know shit about our relationship or why it ended. I suggest you mind your own business." Her tone of voice let Emily know that she wasn't playing.

"Dave is the father of my children. He will always be my business." Emily said softening her voice. "You're right. I don't know why you broke up, but he's a good man and for reasons that escape me, he loves you. I would have given anything for him to feel that way about me and you're willing to throw that all away? What's wrong with you?"

Britain stood in the kitchen alone, trying not to cry. Emily was right. She was throwing away all of the memories and she was having a hard time remembering why. All she could remember was she was mad at him and the rules said there were no second chances. But she made the rules, so she could break them if she really wanted to? But that would mean that she might just be setting herself up for heartbreak. Why did she have to be so tough? Why couldn't she just let her guard down, just one more time?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Christina walked into the Cena household and instantly felt uncomfortable. _What the fuck am I doing here?_ She asked herself as John introduced her to his family. Everyone was so happy that he had actually brought a girl home. They knew his reputation, the skank's man…but she didn't look like a skank, at least not right then.

"Everybody…this is my girl, Christina." John said putting his arm around her waist.

She shot him a look and drew her brows together. _His girl?_ They had gone out a few times, slept together on a couple of occasions but when did she become his girl? She wasn't looking for romance or that fairytale shit that Britain was into. She was looking for a friend with benefits, nothing more.

"When did I become your girl?" She asked John quietly. She could tell by the look in his eye that he was truly shocked by her question. She had known all about his reputation, so she thought he would be cool with the old 'stick and move' routine.

He pulled her into the other room. "X listen…I was gonna talk to you 'bout this later. But, I kinda got a thing for you…and I was hopin' that you did too." He felt weird talking to a woman like this. For once in his life he wasn't trying out a bullshit line on some random chick he met at a strip club. "I know we don't know each other all that well, but I don't want this thing with us to end."

All she agreed to was dinner. But what did she expect? He was taking her home to meet his family on Thanksgiving no less. If that didn't say, I want this relationship to move to the next level, then what did?

"John, I'm not looking for a relationship. I like what we got going on too, but you want something more than I can give you." She said quietly trying to still look happy when his brother entered the room.

John was down, but not out of the game. So she would be a challenge. Christina would soon learn that what John Cena wants, John Cena gets, point blank end of story. He smiled and leaned down for a kiss. "For now." He said before claiming her lips. He had marked his territory and even she couldn't deny it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I liked you more than the others." Evelyn Bautista whispered to Britain. She was seated next to her and decided since they had a few minutes to themselves while the others brought out the food that she would talk to her. "Can I see the ring?"

Britain looked at the happy woman's face. She didn't know…and she was not about to tell her. "It's getting resized." She lied, although she didn't know why she was lying to Dave's mother. He should have told her that they weren't together anymore.

"You know…" Evelyn put her hand on Britain's, "David Sr. use to make me so mad sometimes. I felt like he was the most insensitive man in the world. But that's just how they are. The men in this family are passionate and sometime they hurt people close to them, just to show how much they care." She patted Britain's hand. "Just don't be too hard on him. He learned how to be an asshole from the best."

Britain smiled and put her head on Evelyn's shoulder. "Thank you." She whispered back, just as Dave walked in with the turkey.

This is how he imagined it, Britain back home, his family around him, everything would be how it should be…only she wasn't back home, not really and this whole thing was a charade. But the smile she had given him as he walked toward the table, made him forget all his doubts. It was the first real smile he'd seen from her in months and he couldn't help but to let the small spark of hope, burn brighter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase and the Hardy men sat down for dinner. She had really outdone herself. Even she was impressed with the spread before them. Now if it only tasted as good as it looked. She wasn't sure about putting brown sugar in Sour Kraut…isn't that why it's called Sour Kraut…but Jeff had insisted.

"You really out did yourself." Jeff said smiling at her. His heart was full, even if the food tasted like Styrofoam; it was the effort that he loved. She reminded him of his mom, the way she took charge, stopped all of them from fighting and brought them together around the table. It was right…it was good…it was love.

Gilbert Hardy spoke first. "Before we start eating, I would like everyone to say what they are thankful for." He looked at Matt and nodded for him to start.

"Well…I'm thankful that we're all together again this Thanksgivin'." It was short and to the point. Matt was really too busy thinking about what he wanted to put on his plate to really think about it. He turned to Chase.

"I'm thankful that you let me come and share in your holiday with you…and I'm thankful for Jeff." She said with a smile. She turned to Jeff noticing Matt grunt.

"Jesus dad, he's gonna take all day." Matt said looking to his father to put a time restraint on the overly dramatic Jeff. But his father shook his head.

Jeff threw a roll at Matt. "Shut up, Matt." He looked around the room and smiled. "I'm thankful for a lot of things. First, I'm thankful for Chase, because without you I don't know where I'd be. I'm thankful that you know how to cook, or else we'd still be arugin'. I'm thankful for my family, and even though y'all get on my nerves, I love y'all. And I'm thankful for Kelly, because she showed me that I needed to change."

Chase felt herself get choked up. He was healing, emotionally. Even Matt and Mr. Hardy were shocked; Jeff never talked about her before. But at least now they knew it was a start.

"I'm thankful for my boys. I just wish your mom was still here to see you two. Y'all are fine young men and no parent could be prouder." He admitted before getting grunts from his son's for being too sappy.

Without further ado, they dug in, complementing Chase on how good everything was. They didn't argue for the rest of the evening, maybe because they were too full or maybe it was because they were too thankful.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, I'm going to try to find a hotel." Britain said before grabbing her bag. She hadn't been able to book one do to the short notice of coming to town and on Thanksgiving night it wasn't looking like she would be finding one anytime soon.

Dave touched her shoulder. "Why don't you just stay here?" It wasn't a come-on, it was an honest question. Why should she have to pay for a hotel, when she had a home…_their_ home to stay in?

She tried not to look in his eyes, but they were so inviting. "Where would I sleep?" She looked around at Maddy and Alli both with their shit eating grins.

Dave smiled too. "Let's see…Maddy and Alli have their rooms and my mom is staying Chase's room." This was getting better and better. He had to hand it to Maddy, she was good. "You can stay in our room, I'll take the couch."

Britain frowned. "You're too big to be on that couch. I'll sleep down here." She said. She knew that he would protest, in fact, she was banking on it. So maybe she didn't have the balls to go running back into his arms, but all bets were off when they were alone, in the dark, in the bed…especially since he had been so nice to her for the rest of the night, after they shared silly stories with the family on their travels together, and after the talks she had with Emily and Evelyn. Maybe she could let her guard down; just this once.

"We're both adults. I think we can be mature about sharing a bed." He said trying not to sound too eager. It had been months since he had her in his bed and if he had to take her hostage, he was going to get her back…tonight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hunter had finally been invited to spend the night into his bed with Stephanie. Dinner with her parents hadn't been as horrible as he imagined. Although the look on Vince's face, when Stephanie told him that they were going to try to make it work, was priceless. They'd had a good day; he minded his p's and q's even with Vince taking potshots at him.

He sat on the bed and watched as Stephanie changed her clothes. It had been 5 months since he had seen anything more than the skin on her arms or legs. But seeing the smooth skin of her back, the gentle curve of her belly…the curve of her belly? Had it been that long since he'd seen his wife almost naked that he didn't realize that she had picked up some weight? She wasn't fat by any means, but her belly had a definite rounded curve to it that became more solid in the middle.

Stephanie blushed at his face. "I didn't tell you because I didn't think we'd be together. I was willing to do it on my own." She said approaching him.

He turned his head to the side and tried to process it all. Without thinking he reached his hand out and touched the small curve, it was hard under his fingers. "How long?" He whispered because the cry in his throat was robbing him of his words.

She rested her hand on his. "Almost six months. It's a girl." She said sitting down beside him. "I want to make this work for her…for us. I don't want to this alone, I want you there Hunter, in every way."

He shook his head taking in the look of disappointment on her face. "I don't want to be Hunter with you…not anymore." He said pulling her closer and kissing her. "I just want to be Paul."

Finally after four years of marriage, he could honestly say that he was more interested in being her husband instead of Triple H. This is what he wanted, not the money, fame or a title…he wanted Stephanie and the little baby that they made together.

He had had it all and almost lost it. He would never be that shallow again. He had once accused Dave of being whipped, but he knew that he was too. He was whipped by the prospect of being a husband again and a new father … and that was fine with him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How much longer?" Chase asked. She was laid across the bed with a strategically place sheet on her. She was tired of laying there, she wanted Jeff to finish.

He looked at her and pursed his lips. "I'd be done if you'd hold still." He said walking across the room to her. He laid next to her and adjusted the halo made out of aluminum foil on her head. "Perfect." He gave her a small kiss and went back to his easel.

She waited a few more minutes, but her impatience took over. "Ok, I'm done." She said sitting up. She went to him and sat on his lap. "Jeff, it's beautiful." She said looking at the painting of herself.

He wrapped his arms around her. "That's how I see you, Chase. You're my angel." Everyday, he thought it would be impossible to love her more and everyday he was wrong. She was his everything. She showed him how to live again, how to love, how to be himself and be ok with it.

She got up and led him by the hand to his bed. "Then let me show you what heaven looks like." She smiled looking his eyes. There was nothing in the world more urgent than needing for their bodies, hearts and souls to become one. As soon as he kissed her, she knew, this is where she wanted to be. No matter what came tomorrow, they had each other and they would face the future together and that's all that mattered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dave…" Britain whispered, taking the time to nudge her face against his arm. He smiled as she ran her leg over his causing his body to ache at her touch. It was her idea, to put the pillow barricade between them, but as soon as the sleep washed over her, those were the first things she kicked out of the bed. So now, she was touching him, her flesh on his flesh. It was time, we was getting her back…come hell or high water.

He had been watching her since she fell asleep. The soft glow from the lamp, made watching her face settle into wrinkleless perfection illuminate and hearing her soft breaths calmed his mind. And now, she was dreaming…about him. He couldn't have hoped for so much.

He touched his finger to the bridge of her nose and smiled when her eyes fluttered open. She looked around room confused. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but waiting around for him to make the first move found her drifting into dream land. And now he was touching her, that gentle, innocent touch…smiling at her, making her feel embarrassed.

"You were dreaming" he said softly, now running the back of his finger across her eyebrows.

"And now I'm not." She said trying to move her head away from the delicious tickle of his hand.

His hand cupped her cheek and turned her head back to his. "You want to talk about it?" He smiled hoping that she remembered that she had been dreaming about him. She tried to think of something smart to say, but the way his fingers started to slowly touch her cheek made sarcasm impossible.

He couldn't touch her enough. He had to remember every curve of her face, and he closed his eyes against the feeling. He proceeded to feel the comfort of her face that his finger tips had been so desperately missing for the past two months.

He was affecting her, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Her brain was growing fuzzy and she couldn't remember how to form words. She could only concentrate on breathing, as his fingers gently traced her lips. "Dave?" She breathed heavily causing him to smile.

He leaned in close to her ear. "Say my name again." He whispered running his finger from her lips to her chin and down to the hollow of her throat. "Please? I missed hearing you say it." He wanted to taste her lips, but she had to want it…he refused to give into temptation.

"Dave…please." She swallowed hard. "Don't."

He took in her face feeling rejected; but her eyes closed softly as he stroked the space between them. "Why do you want me to stop?" He brushed the baby hair on her hair line. "You use to love it when I touched your face." The husky whisper of his voice was making it hard for her to stand her ground.

"I still do." She said breathlessly as his thumb traced her earlobe. She heard a soft chuckle erupt from his masculine voice.

"Then why do I have to stop?" He whispered. He knew she was under his spell, but he had to be cautious because one wrong move would send her back into defensive mode. He watched her eyes as they fluttered open.

She wasn't putting up much of a fight, she knew. But she hadn't planned on making it _that_ easy for him. But it those damn fingers, those masculine fingers connected to that huge body, were so gentle. "Because…we can't do this." She rubbed her cheek into his hand. "Your daughters are down the hall."

He curled the corners of his mouth for a smile. "We'll be quiet." He said softly, looking into her eyes.

She thought back to the night that Chase first came to LA. They were having the same conversation again. "You're never quiet." She smiled back at him.

She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, forcing him to touch the corner of her mouth to withdraw it. Her lips were moist from her mouth, pouting softly, he traced it with his thumb. "Can I kiss you?" He whispered, with his own lips threatening to jump of his face and attach themselves to hers if he didn't move soon. He couldn't take his eyes off her lips as he lowered his head closer to hers.

She felt her hands move on their own volition to his face and pull him down the rest of the way until their lips met. She kissed him with the fervor and passion of a woman who hadn't kissed the love of her life in two months could.

His lips still knew hers so well, they knew to move, giving the gentlest pressure, convincing hers to part so that their tongues could touch. Nothing short of beautiful was that kiss…so full of longing, and love remembered. This kiss was what they both had in mind and it was going to remind them of just how special their love was.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain held Dave's gaze as her hands remembered every taut muscle of his neck, shoulders, chest and stomach. She sat astride his legs as his back rested against the headboard. His one hand trailed down the curve of hip while the other got lost in the softness of her hair.

"I missed you so much." She was the first to speak. There was no need for boisterous speech, because the gentleness of their voices, the caress of their touch and the conversation of their eyes said everything that their mouths might have wanted to say.

He took her face in his hands. "I'm glad that you're home." For the first time in months, she wasn't at X's, not at her apartment, not at her father's…she was at home _with_ him.

She touched his lips as he gently nibbled her thumb. "Tell me what you want." He said with a soft smile.

Without hesitation she replied, no longer afraid to share her fantasies whether they be sexual or otherwise. "You…I've always wanted you." And she was did. She wanted everything about him, the man that never remembered to take out the trash, the man that flexed his pecs to the beat of a song just to make her smile…the man that spooned against her and held her so tight that she couldn't get up to go the bathroom, the man that refused to let her believe that she could beat him a fight, the over protective father that was willing to kill anyone who he thought might hurt his girls in any way, the man that only owned one pair of jeans, the man that had the _stupid _friends…all of that made up Dave Batista and she wanted it, all of it.

He closed his eyes against her words and felt the butterflies in his stomach start to settle.

"Tell me what _you_ want." She whispered running her finger across the lone tear that escaped from his eye.

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "I have everything I need. My girls are safe and happy and you still love me…I couldn't want more than that."

They kissed hungrily as she slowly lowered herself onto him. She remembered every inch of his rigid body as his joined with hers. Feeling him, like this again, she knew she was home back where she belonged…back in his arms.

He used all of his restraint to still his movements and let her move how she needed to. He felt the soft roll of her hips under his hands as he continued to tease her lips with his own. He whispered to her new promises of fidelity, honor, respect and undying love. He whispered his dreams about their future, which included marriage and children; until finally she surrendered to pleasure and let out a gasp before crumbling against his chest crying.

"I love you." He said softly holding her in his arms.

"What if it's not like it was?" She questioned, still feeling the pulse of his neck.

He smiled and lifted her head to his eyes. Without a doubt in his mind he told her. "It won't be…it'll be better."


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The same...

Epilogue

Britain sat at the window and watched the sun set. It seemed like only yesterday she had met Dave Batista in that studio. It was the day that had forever changed her life. No longer was she the insecure beauty who allowed herself to be a doormat just so someone would love her. She was a new woman now, she was a woman that had found love, had her heart broken and learned to trust again.

She watched as the day folded gently into night and wondered what Dave was doing. It had been three weeks since she had seen him last, three weeks since they had made love…but even though the time had passed, she was never more in love with him as she was at that moment.

She held her breath as she felt the tears start to sting her eyes. They had been through so much together; if everything they suffered didn't prove that they belonged to one another nothing else would.

"It's time." She heard her father say. She stood up and smiled at him. For the longest time, she thought that he would be the only man in her life that truly knew her worth. For so long he was the only man that treated her like she was more than a pretty face. He held no obligations or expectations for her…he loved her completely. It was the kind of love that before Dave, she thought it impossible to ever feel with someone else. Now she would be leaving him; for good.

Although Johan hated to see her go, he knew it was time. He had done all that a father could. He loved his girl without limits, he taught her right from wrong, and he raised her to be independent and strong. Though he wished she could stay his little girl forever, he knew that he had to let her go to become the woman she was destined to be.

For the first time in hours, everything was quiet. There were no longer the sounds of laughter and conversations filling the small room. It was just the two of them and in this moment; she took the time to tell him how she felt. "I'm scared, Vati." She turned to her father for guidance.

"Britannien, you are stronger zan you give yourself credit. You'll do fine…my girl always will do fine." He hugged his daughter and refused to cry.

It wasn't until she made it to the door that she felt like she was going to pass out. It was too much, too overwhelming. All eyes were on her, they were all expecting her to be great …what if she failed? What if she couldn't make it work? She scanned the faces and settled on one at the end of the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dave Batista watched Britain and felt his heart skip a beat. He had always thought that Britain was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but today, she was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.

Although his three girls had walked just before her in their silver spaghetti strap gowns, their beauty paled in comparison to hers. He took in her white and silver beaded strapless gown. She looked like she had just stepped out of a fairytale.

Although her face was covered by a veil, he could see it in all of its flawless glory. So long had the mark from Hunter's hand been gone…all that was left was the shear perfection of his bride to be.

As she walked toward him, he felt the butterflies settle. He had been married twice before, but they were just practice. The third time had to be a charm. And though it was her first marriage, it was the first time that he'd married for love.

He didn't need the big wedding, but he went along with it because he wanted her to have the wedding of her dreams. He would have been happy getting married in their living room, not in a Cathedral of this size…but she wanted it. He would have been happy with just having his mom and his girls in attendance, but instead they paid to fly 45 people to Baltimore for their nuptials.

He had chosen Baltimore because that's where she grew up and it was special to her. Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral was a beautiful, Hispanic church. He wanted her to encompass as many things that made up her heritage on this day. And she had chosen to honeymoon in the Philippines and in Greece, because of his ancestry. But he didn't need all of that, all he needed was her.

As she approached, he could no longer hold in his smile. He knew that she was a bundle of nerves, but he would be strong for both of them. He knew this was right and there was nothing to be afraid of. With all of the restraint he could muster, he stood before her totally still. He watched as her father gently placed her hand on his. He took her hand in both of his much larger ones and squeezed it gently.

"I give you my daughter… be careful with her heart." Johan said before he kissed Britain on her head and stepping back from the couple.

Dave tucked her hand under his arm as they turned to face the priest. "You look beautiful." He said leaning in so she could hear him.

She smiled. "I should. _You _picked out this dress, remember." She turned to face her soon to be husband. Finally, he had picked out something that actually fit her; that she actually liked. His taste was definitely improving. "But the underwear you picked out are riding up my ass." He watched as her eyes grew wide. "Oh my God, did I just say ass in church?"

He let out a small chuckle. "Yup twice…we're screwed."

They couldn't stop laughing, especially when the priest asked them quietly if they were ready to begin. After they both nodded, the ceremony began with a High Mass in Latin and Spanish. Though Dave could have done without all of the fanfare, the look of happiness on her face was enough for him to go through with it.

Dave looked at his daughters who stood behind Christina in the bride's party, and then with a nod and a smile from them all, he spoke. "Britain…I don't know where to begin. You are more to me than a lover and more than my friend…you're my mentor, my confidant, my voice of reason, my ego checker…you're my everything. I don't scare easily and I have a hard time showing emotions, but I can tell you, I've never been more afraid than when I thought I lost you forever. I cried everyday and I didn't care who knew it. I realized when we were apart that I needed you to breathe." He took her hand and held it over his heart. "I need you in my life and I promise that I will try to make you love me half as much as I love you."

All she could do was place her hand on the side of his face as she looked over at Ric, Randy, John … and Hunter. Even though they had argued about him being in the wedding, not even he was going to spoil her day.

"David…I love you. I love everything about you. I love how loyal you are to your family, how much you care about your friends, even when they screw up royally and I wouldn't be bothered with them anymore." She looked at Hunter and rolled her eyes, causing Dave to laugh, because he knew exactly what she was referring to. "But that's what I need. You've taught me how to trust. I've never met someone who loves as deeply as you do and that's something that I want to spend the rest of our lives learning how to do. It's funny, because just when I think that it's impossible to love you anymore than I already do, everyday I find myself falling deeper in love with you. Today, I love you more than I did yesterday, but not half as much as I will tomorrow."

Although he knew that he was suppose to wait for the priest to give him permission to kiss her, he couldn't resist. He placed a small kiss on her lips, making the church laugh. "Sorry. I had to do that." He said with a big smile.

The wedding held traditions from both of their cultures. At the rehearsal dinner, they shared the German tradition of braking dishes. Although no one really knew why they were destroying perfectly good china, it was fun.

Before the matching platinum and diamond wedding bands were blessed, Dave reached in his pocket and gently laid 13 gold coins in Britain's hand; each coin was a promise to her, something that was traditionally done in the Philippines. "I will take out the trash. I will pick my clothes up off the bathroom floor." He tried to lighten the mood and was happy when he heard her laugh at his promises. "Seriously…I will ask for your input on decisions. I will consider you in all things. I will respect you. I will never take you for granted. I will treat you as my equal. I will share everything that I have and that I am with you. I will never hurt you again. I will be a provider and protector to you. I will never lie to you. I will always be faithful. I will love you forever." As he closed her hand around the coins he gently bent down to kiss it.

Finally, after all of the vows were said and the rings were placed on their hands; the couple knelt before the priest to receive the joining crowns of flowers to be placed on their heads. This was the part of the ceremony that Dave's mother was most happy about. It was a Greek tradition that symbolized that two people had now been joined and would never be separated.

As they arose, they turned to face the audience. "Ladies and Gentleman…I give you Mr. and Mrs. David Batista, Jr." The priest said, over the loud applause and standing ovation from everyone in attendance.

There was only one thing left to do. "Ready?" She asked him smiling. And in unison, they followed the old African tradition of jumping over a large decorated broom that was placed at their feet.

It was done. The wedding that was a Hodge-podge of cultures and traditions was as beautiful and fun, just as the two people who were united in matrimony. And finally that the hard part was over, what better way to reward their efforts than with a serious party?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Gramercy Mansion was decorated beautifully, but the expensive décor of the facility was not going to determine the reception. Everyone kicked back and enjoyed themselves. The Dom flowed like water as did beer, tequila and every other type of liquor under the sun. The music was loud, why John had been in charge of the music was still an enigma to both Dave and Britain; but all of the guests were having a great time.

"Britain looked so beautiful." Chase said as she danced with her father. "I hope my wedding is a beautiful as this one."

Dave looked at his daughter and raised his eyebrow. "I gave you permission to leave UCLA and transfer to Duke…I even let you move in with your _boyfriend_. Talking about marriage…now you're pressing your luck."

"Daddy, you promised." Chase said giving him a dimpled smile.

All he could do was shake his head. He had really been trying and even making some progress when it came to Jeff and Chase's relationship. That whole moving in thing would have never occurred if it hadn't been for Britain laying the smack down on in his interfering.

"What? I've been good. I didn't even say anything once about that painting of you hanging in his living room." He thought about the painting Jeff made of a half naked Chase on Thanksgiving. "I still don't want to know how he was able to paint that."

Chase looked in her father's eyes. "I posed for it."

"No…please. Let me just live in ignorance. Let me believe that you're in the guest room." He held Chase's head to his chest, like he did when she was a little girl. "Let me still think that you're my sweet, little Princess."

Chase held him close. "I'll always be your Princess, Daddy."

Before he could retort, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and looked Jeff Hardy in the eye.

"Can I cut in? I wanna dance with my girl." Jeff held his stance, but smiled when he saw Chase smiling back at him.

Dave shook his head and let reluctantly let Chase go. As he watched Jeff take her in his arms, he noticed his other daughter Madison dancing with Randy Orton, smiling it up. "I swear, you two are going to give me a heart attack." He said before he turned to find Britain.

"He's not so bad." Jeff said to Chase.

"Yeah. Just don't let him find out about the interesting things you do with finger paints and you two will get along great." She flashed her dimples forcing him to kiss her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Britain made her way over to the table that Stephanie and Hunter occupied, carrying a small gift.

"This is for Aurora. We won't be back before her birthday." She said handing the present to Stephanie. "Just tell her that her Godparents love her and wish her a happy first birthday."

As she started to leave, Hunter stood up. "I just wanted to say…I'm sorry about everything."

Britain stood back and surveyed the scene. She had a choice to make, she could tear into Hunter, or she could let it ride and enjoy her day. With elegance and poise, she spoke to Hunter so he could clearly understand.

"You're only here because for some reason Dave still wants to be your friend. I agreed to be your daughter's Godmother because I like your wife and frankly I feel sorry for that kid having you as a father. But make no mistake, you are nothing to me. So unless it involves Aurora or if Dave needs a kidney transplant…you and I have _nothing_ to say to each other." She put a smile on her face as the other guests walked past her. "And know this; if you _ever _try to hurt me or the people that I love again…this shit will blow up like the Godfather."

Stephanie couldn't help but to smile. She admired how strong Britain was. She wasn't afraid of anything. It was something that she wished she could do. But she had to admit, Britain was the catalyst that brought her husband back to her. There relationship had never been stronger…and now that their second child was on the way; things only seemed to be getting better.

Dave stood far enough away from Britain to hear what she was saying, but not make it seem like he was trying to protect her. He knew that this was something that she needed to do on her own. He wanted her to know that he trusted her and he believed in her strength. He had to smile. She had balls…and from the look on Hunter's face, he too knew she meant business. And before she had a chance to tell Hunter a little more about how she felt, he interrupted.

"Everything ok?" He asked running his hand down the back of her neck.

She turned to him and smiled. "Everything's great. I was just giving them Aurora's birthday present."

Dave looked at Hunter, who was shaking his head. It was amazing how much he changed over the year. In the past, he would have put her on blast and cursed her out for threatening him. But today, he was calm…and quite frankly he found her bravery amusing.

"Is it ok if I dance with my wife?" He asked Hunter and Stephanie. And before either of them had a chance to answer, he led her across the room to the middle of the floor.

Britain looped her arms around his neck and smiled. "Don't step on my toes. These shoes are killing me enough as it is."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"First I'd like to thank everyone for sharing in our special day. There were some times when I thought that this day would never happen; mainly because Dave screwed up." She turned and smiled at her husband. "But to everyone that has listened to me cry, whine and scream about how much I love him and how frustrated he makes me. I'd like to say thank you.

To my Ma, I'd like to say, that I want to be like you when I grow up. Lord knows how you put up with Vati, being so optimistic and nonchalant, all these years. But you make marriage look easy and above all, you make me believe that it's beautiful. I will take your example and try to be as good a wife and mother as you are.

To my Vati, Ich liebe dich. Du bist der stärkste und meiste leichte Mann, den ich überhaupt gekannt habe. Mich beigebracht du hast, daß was Liebe wie glaubt und ich weiß, daß ich sie gefunden habe. Aber, egal was, ich immer meinen Vati benötige und ich bin immer dein kleines Mädchen. '_I love you. You are the strongest and most gentle man I've ever known. You've taught me what love feels like and I know that I've found it. But no matter what, I will always need my daddy and I will always be your little girl.'_

To my brother Croix, you're a punk, but you being there for me has meant so much. You're a good guy and right now, it doesn't suck to have you as a brother.

To Christina, Seremos siempre hermanas. Si podría encontrar a alguien para amarme, sé que puedes. Como ti me dijo que antes, la licencia tú mismo abierta y él sucedan. Significas que todo a mí y yo no sé lo que haría sin ti. '_We'll always be sisters. If I could find someone to love me, I know you can. Like you told me before, leave yourself open and it'll happen. You mean everything to me and I don't know what I'd do without you.'_

To Ric, Randy and John, I never met three guys who stuck their necks out more to try to keep two people together. You three are not only Dave's friends, but I'm proud to say that you're my friends too.

To my new step-daughters… I'll love your dad everyday that I'm alive and I will try my best to make him happy. I love you girls, you accepted me from the beginning and I promise not to take that lightly. I'm proud to be a part of your family and I hope that our relationships will continue to grow. Today, I didn't just marry your Dad, I married you too.

And to you…" She turned to Dave. "I don't have words to tell you how I feel about you. This is going to be journey and no matter where life takes us, I'm glad we'll be doing it together…side by side."

She turned back to the crowd and raised her glass. "Salute."

Dave raised his glass to speak. "I'm not that great with words and I definitely don't talk as much as she does." He nodded his head toward Britain, getting a swift pop to the back of the head from her. "But, to my girls, I love you. It means a lot that you are accepting of Britain and have welcomed her into our family.

To my mom, what else can I say but I love you.

To my boys, y'all are my boys. Thank you for everything you've done.

To the Weis', especially Johan, I promise I will take care of your daughter. I'm glad that you have taken me and my children in as your own.

And to my wife, we have the rest of our lives for me to show you how much I love you."

Although his acclimation was short and sweet he meant every word of it. They're promises to their friends, family and each other was sealed by a kiss, getting hoots, hollers and whistles from those who witnessed it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Perfect, now that's an interesting word. Usually it means devoid of flaw, but flaws are what make things special. If it weren't for all of the obstacles they had to face, none of them would be where they were on this day. If Chase hadn't been smothered as a child, she would have never reached out to Jeff. If he hadn't been an addict in the past, he wouldn't be a changed man, eager to learn to love life again. If they hadn't been forbade to see each other, then they wouldn't have had to fight to make their relationship, which was stronger than ever, work.

If Hunter hadn't been a dick then Dave and Britain may have never broken up. And if they hadn't, neither of them would have realized just how much they needed each other.

No, nothing about their relationships was perfect…not in the traditional sense of the word. They were as messy as they were harmonious, they were as complicated as they were simplistic, they were as unpleasant as they were beautiful and they were as flawed as they were perfect.

All of these things made them all strong…and that made it just perfect for them.

xxxxx

_Author's Note: This epilogue has been so hard to write! I must have written it about 10 times doing different things with it. Although it's not the best thing I've ever written, I think it summed it up. I'll be working on the sequel soon. Right now I'm concentrating on my other stories, Miscommunication and The Edge of Reason, but I promise, it's not the last you'll hear from Jeff and Chase nor Dave and Britain; there's even a little X and John drama thrown in too. I got a few bumps to throw their way; so stay tuned. _

_Thank you to everyone who has stuck this out with me. You guys rock and I am completely in awe in your courage for reading and you're confidence in me as a writer. I promise the sequel will be so much better._

_Until then as always, _

_Be Easy!_

_Shannon_


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